Legacy of the Popcorn Fairy: Return of a Legend
by ThePopcornFairy
Summary: My life has always been the simple life of a loaner, but an ancient prophecy and my new best friend are about to turn it upside-down as I'm pulled into an adventure I was destined to lead.
1. Reawakening

**Legacy of the Popcorn Fairy Book 1: Return of a Legend**

_It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect. He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he enables me to stand on the heights. He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze._

_-Psalm 18:32-34 NIV_

**Chapter 1: Reawakening**

In a small lab on the outskirts of civilization, work was steady as usual. Monitors with 3-D topographic maps of hundreds of different areas remained unmarked, free of any possible threats. Employees sat at their desks… bored. _Nothing_ was happening.

"I can't take this anymore!" one employee finally shrieked. "All I've been doing for the past five years is staring at monitors! I can't live like this!"

"Get a hold of yourself, Johnson!" another one shouted.

"Tell me I'm not the only one thinking it!" the half-crazed one continued. "Nothing's happened since this place was built and nothing _will_ happen!"

"Don't say that!" someone shouted as he stood up. "It's going to happen! Maybe not tonight, maybe not tomorrow, but it _will happen!_"

"_**When?**_"

As if to answer the question, a soft beep was heard from one of the monitors. All eyes turned to the one it was coming from.

A red dot was flashing at one point on the map. Each time it reappeared, lines bulging out of it seemed to get longer and longer, as if it was portraying something spreading across the area.

"Black!" one employee shouted while pointing to another one. "Bring that one up!"

Black nodded and brought up the same map on his computer. Several others gathered around and waited anxiously for the news.

"Where is it?"

"It looks like…" Black said as he brought up the map's coordinates, "…Peach Creek."

"That little town a half hour south of here?"

"Hold on." He continued typing, bringing up old files as well as readouts on the red dot's data. He came out with a match. "Yep, that's them."

"Holy Cheez-Its!" Johnson started freaking out again. "What do we do? I don't know what to do! The only reason I took this job is because you never have to do anything!"

"Calm down, kid!" called a new voice. Everyone turned towards the voice to find their boss, Mr. Tucker, standing in the doorway. "Don't panic. You know what must be done. There's only one thing that will stop them, and there's only one who can control it!"

Everyone nodded, silently confirming that they understood.

"Send out the packages. Wherever she is, we'll find her."

The employees immediately ran back to their desks to either make a phone call or look at their own monitors. Mr. Tucker calmly left the room, his face low and cold.

"It's time for the reawakening."

* * *

It seemed like a normal day at Peach Creek High School. The second lunch period had begun, and everyone was crowding the lines as the long hours of waiting for this period wore thin. Once they had their trays, they filed into their usual seats.

On one end of the cafeteria were the popular kids, including jock boy Kevin Lewis, pretty girl Nazz VanBartonschmeer, and foreigner Rolf MacFen. Not far from them were Jonny West and his wooden friend Plank.

On the other end were the oddballs, known as the Eds. Edwin "Ed" Alba, Eddward "Double D" Duling, and Edgar "Eddy" Verra made up this small group. They always sat far away from the three girls with huge crushes on them, Lee, Marie and May Kanker.

And on the very far corner of the cafeteria was a girl sitting by herself. No one knows a lot about this girl. Some call her a loaner. Others, a freak. Still others call her that weird girl with the black jacket who doesn't talk to anyone.

That girl is me.

You, the reader, may refer to me as Natalie.

It was my usual thing to find an empty table by myself, which was made easy by the fact that I don't have to wait in the lunch lines because I pack my lunch. It's not that I didn't want to sit with other people, I'm just not… social. I can't hold a conversation, let alone start one that other people would get into. So I isolate myself, spending my time alone with my wild imagination.

Something in my gut told me today would be different.

Maybe it wasn't my gut, but the fact that the new kid was looking around for a table. Yes, there was a new kid at the creek. He was in my English class. His name was Henry, but he preferred to be called Mutt, heaven knows why. Throughout my day I had overheard other students talking about him, most of those students being girls. That didn't surprise me, what with that thick head of hair and well-built body he had.

Strangely, he hadn't said much since he came here. I had only heard him talk when he introduced himself and answered questions. Sometimes he would also do something to make the ladies swoon, but other than that he had been silent.

At the moment, though, he was looking for a table. One or two people offered him a spot, to which he politely declined. Then he looked my way.

We locked eyes, instantly sending a wave of embarrassment through my stomach. I averted my gaze, hoping he would just walk away. But when I forced myself to look up again, he was casually strolling towards my table.

Dejected, I sighed and leaned my head into my hand. I heard him sit down and drop his tray in front of him. Then he spoke. "Hey."

My heart started racing. His voice was so… _smooth. _Just that one word got my hormones riled up. God, this boy was _smoking._

I looked up and managed a smile and a "Hey," then I looked back down.

"Um… Why are you sitting here all by yourself?" he asked me.

Without looking up at him, I rubbed my neck and responded, "'Cause I don't feel like sitting with anyone. I'm not really a social butterfly."

He shrugged. "That doesn't mean you have to isolate yourself. Just sit with someone and enjoy their company. I mean, don't you get lonely?"

"Not really." Hey, it was the truth.

"Well you can't just sit here alone all through high school."

I didn't know how to respond to that, so I just shrugged it off and asked, "So… you're Mutt, right?"

"Yep. And you're… in fifth period English with me, right?"

I chuckled a little bit. Of course he didn't know my name. "Yeah. My name's Natalie."

"Nice to meet ya."

We were both silent for a moment while we ate. He had a lot on his tray, but I didn't bother questioning that. I didn't want to be rude.

"So…" Mutt muttered after about two minutes. "What's it like here in Peach Creek?"

"Well…" Where to start? "It's mostly quiet. Some excitement can happen here and there. Everyone knows each other on my street. All in all it's just your basic suburban neighborhood."

"Hmm…" He nodded. "It's definitely a big change from old Detroit."

"You moved here from Detroit?"

"Uh-huh. At my old school, my class alone consisted of about two… three hundred."

"Gosh," I whispered as I leaned back in my chair. "I could never imagine something like that. I've lived here my whole life."

He just nodded to that, then we resumed eating. I was just about done, but first I wanted to know something.

"Tell me…"

He looked up at me.

"Of all the places to sit, why here? Why would you wanna sit with _me?_"

He dropped his fork back onto his tray and shrugged. "Because… I was looking for the spot where my company was most needed. When I saw you sitting here alone, I figured you'd need someone to hang with you."

I leaned forward. "But why? Other people offered you a spot, and girls all over this school have been drooling at your feet!"

"Really? I haven't noticed."

Was he being modest or stupid? Hard to tell. "I'm just not… not…"

"Wait, wait, wait," he interrupted, holding a hand up. "Are you saying you're not worth it?"

I fell back slightly. "You could've sat with anyone."

"But I chose to sit here, didn't I?"

"Well yeah, but… I'm nothing special. I'm just the weird girl with the black jacket that doesn't talk to anyone."

"Aw, come on, Nat. You know that's not true."

My eyes widened slightly when he called me "Nat." He was already giving me nicknames?

"You know there's more to you than just the jacket. Anyone in this school would be lucky to have you as a friend. I can tell; your eyes are telling me more than you're saying." He gently placed his hand on top of mine, sending a rush of heat through me.

Quite literally, actually.

"Wow…" I choked up, trying not to stutter. "Your hand is… really hot. Do you have a fever or something?"

He pulled it back. "Um… I-It's been like that for a while."

"What has?"

"I… I've just been having weird fluctuations in my body temperature. It's no big deal."

"Oh." I looked back down, feeling embarrassed for asking.

"Anyway…" he slowly continued. "Don't keep yourself locked up. I'm sure if you let others see the real you, they'd quickly accept you."

I found myself smiling. He was so nice. Heck! Hot, nice, smooth… this boy was _perfect!_

He then pulled out a sticky note and pen, wrote down a series of numbers and handed it to me. "Here's my cell phone number. Feel free to call any time."

He gave me his cell phone number? Inside I was glad I don't have a fan girl personality, or else I'd be squealing. Mutt was being nicer to me than almost anyone I'd ever met!

My arch enemy, the bell, rang. I jumped slightly, lost in the time.

"Well," I said as I stood up, "it's been nice talking to you." I stuck the sticky note in my jeans pocket.

"Wait, uh, what class do you have next?"

"Biology."

"Um… Could you show me where French is?"

"Oh, sure! I take French two!"

He stood up and walked next to me. "Cool. Too bad we aren't in that class together."

"Oh, uh…" I just noticed our misconception of words. "I'm in French _two,_ as in this is my second year taking it."

"Ah," he said, understanding. "Right. Do they provide foreign language classes to middle schoolers here?"

"Only to advanced students."

"Well, there you go! I had a feeling you were smart!" Mutt chided as he wrapped an arm around me.

I couldn't help but blush. Was the new kid- the new _incredibly hot_ kid- my friend?

* * *

After bio and band, school was over. I didn't have any more classes with Mutt, which didn't surprise me. He doesn't seem like the kind of guy who would join the school band.

I walked out the doors near my locker and onto the sidewalk. I just had to meet Jared in the student parking lot and I'd be home free for the weekend.

When I looked down the lot a bit, I found Mutt standing beneath a tree… surrounded by the Kanker sisters! My heart raced again while my mind flooded with the thoughts of what those horrible girls were doing. I moved in and tried to listen in on them.

"Well, look who showed up," Lee crooned.

"Glad you finally made it to the creek," Marie threw in.

Mutt glared. "Oh, leave me alone." He tried to walk away.

"Hey, don't be like that, Mutt!"

"Yeah," May said, "we haven't seen you since Christmas break, coz!"

"Shut up, May!" Lee shouted at her dimwitted sister.

Did May just call Mutt their _cousin?_

Marie grabbed his upper arm. "Don't leave yet, Mutt. We haven't given you a proper welcome!"

"Back off!" he shouted as he yanked his arm free.

The girls started laughing, a sure sign that something dreadful would happen soon. I couldn't stand watching as my new friend was tormented by those girls. I stomped up to them.

"_Hey!_"

They all turned towards me. I cringed slightly at my stupid mistake.

Mutt silently mouthed, "What are you doing?"

Lee tilted her head. "What do you want? And just who do you think you are?"

May scratched her head. "I think that's the girl who sits at that empty table at lunch."

"Shut _up,_ May!" Marie shouted. "It doesn't matter who she is!"

_Oh, yeah? Your cousin says otherwise,_ I thought to myself, unable to find the courage to say it aloud. I instead growled, "Leave him alone."

Lee chuckled. "Who's gonna make us? _You?_"

Anyone at my school knew that the Kanker sisters don't listen to reason, and no one had the guts or strength to use force. Besides, I'm a pacifist, so I found no other option but to use my words. With all my strength, I walked up to Lee.

"Look, I don't know what you do to Mutt in your spare time, and that's none of my business. But today is his first day at a new school. Don't you think you should give him a break and let him enjoy it?"

Marie pointed at me. "We'll do what we want to him!"

I held my hands up in defense, trying to keep my voice calm. "Even still, if he really is your cousin, you girls should act like… y'know… _good_ cousins. Like family."

"Are you trying to say we need to improve ourselves?" Lee asked lowly.

"All I'm saying is…"

"How about we improve _your face?_" Lee quickly had a hold on my arms. My heart plummeted to my feet.

"Leave her alone!" Mutt shouted as he pulled Lee off of me. "She has nothing to do with this!"

I heard Marie sigh, but from where I was standing I couldn't see her. "Fine. If you insist, we'll go easy on her."

I suddenly felt a pair of hands reach into the back of my pants and yank hard at my underwear. I'm not a shrill person, so I just let out a loud yell.

Mutt growled. "That's not what I- MMPH!" He was interrupted when May slapped her hand over his mouth and Lee grabbed him.

Unable to bear it anymore, I tightly closed my eyes.

I heard Mutt shouting at his cousins, the girls' laughter, punches, smacks, and the sound of a roll of tape unwinding. At the same time, I felt myself being dragged by my underwear, my feet skidding across the grass until I was lifted off the ground. Then there was one last hard tug until I felt no more movement. My feet weren't even touching the ground!

When I finally heard the girls leave, slowly… I opened my eyes.

I was dangling by my underwear on a low tree branch. I couldn't see Mutt from the angle I was in, and whenever I turned my body to look for him it worsened the pain.

"Aren't they just wonderful?" Mutt sarcastically grumbled behind me.

I sighed. "So… the Kanker sisters are your cousins, huh?"

He moaned. "Of all the families to be born into, I had to be a Kanker."

"So _that's_ why you didn't want to give out your last name when introducing yourself in English."

"Uh-huh."

"I'm so sorry, Mutt."

"Thanks, but I don't think that'll do me much good."

"I know." A fat lot of help I was. "Um… Could you help me down? I've never gotten a hanging wedgie before. Come to think of it, I've never been physically bullied before."

"Believe me, I'd love to give you a hand… but it's taped to my butt."

When I forced myself to turn around and spotted him, I found Mutt duct-taped to the tree. I let out a loud sigh. "JARED!"

* * *

After Jared came to our rescue he drove both of us home… because Mutt missed his bus. Jared then told me he had to go mow our uncle's lawn, so he left me alone at home. Mom and Dad were at work, so it was just me and our dogs, Scottie and Louie, the royal pains of the house. I stormed into my room, changed my underwear, stormed back downstairs, and stuck a bag of popcorn in the microwave for a snack.

I didn't feel like sitting down after that traumatizing experience, so I leaned the back of my head against the microwave, folded my arms, and internally complained.

_I can't believe it. I finally make a friend and I let him down! Hopefully he can forgive me for this. After all, he must face this a lot at home._

I couldn't hear the popcorn popping, but I chose to ignore it.

_Why did I just charge at the Kanker sisters? Am I insane? What was I thinking? I couldn't possibly take them on myself! I'm just a hopeless loaner. _I sighed. _I can't defend myself… or anyone else for that matter. I really am nothing special._

The microwave timer went off and I quickly opened it. None of the kernels had even popped! I raised an eyebrow and pulled the bag out. I shook it, felt it, even smelled it, but nothing had happened! "Is this bag defective or something?" I asked myself.

I stuck it back in and hit the popcorn button again. Hopefully it wouldn't burn like the last time when I stuck a half-popped bag in. After another run, it was still unpopped!

I groaned and opened the bag. All the kernels looked fine, just not popped. I pulled one out and examined it. Nothing out of the ordinary; it was just a popcorn kernel.

With a soft sigh I closed my fist. "Why don't things _ever_ work out for me?"

I felt a small pinch in my hand, so I opened it back up.

The kernel had popped!

I stared at it wide-eyed. "Did it just… pop in my hand?" I took another good look at it. It just looked like an ordinary piece of popcorn. An ordinary piece of popcorn that _popped in my hand!_

There was one sense that I hadn't used to examine it, so I shrugged and slowly stuck it in my mouth. Just as I thought, it tasted ordinary. I swallowed it, satisfied by the taste but still curious as to why it popped in my hand and not the microwave.

I suddenly felt a massive throb in my chest, one that practically took my breath away. That pain spread throughout my body and coursed down my spine. My legs gave out from the powerful surge and I fell to my hands and knees.

My head was spinning, as if an energy was overpowering me. When I opened my eyes, I was seeing double. Disoriented, I closed them again. Then, in a quick flash, all that built-up energy exploded out of me. It didn't hurt. In fact, it felt incredible.

Then it was over.

My strength returning, I forced myself up, grabbing onto the counter with one hand and my head with the other. When I let go, I stumbled a bit before standing strait again.

What just _happened? _Was all of that a result from the weird popcorn? If so, what was in it? I tried to shake it off as I walked to the bathroom. I turned the light on and looked in the mirror…

I looked perfectly fine. A little sweaty, maybe, but fine.

With a sigh, I started pulling my jacket off. "I really gotta learn to consider my actions."

As soon as I threw it off, a pair of sky blue wings unfolded from my back.

Now was the best moment to scream. As I did, I backed up against the wall, staring at what was supposed to be my reflection. I rubbed my eyes, hoping this was a dream.

No. When I looked at the mirror again, they were still there. Slowly and shakily, I reached back and grabbed one. I whimpered when I realized it was real. It felt papery, like a butterfly wing, but thicker and less delicate. Worse still, I was actually _moving_ them with my muscles.

Moaning in terror, I rushed over to the phone, pulled the sticky note with Mutt's phone number out of my pocket, and dialed. My fingers were so shaky that I made several mistakes. I finally calmed down enough to get it right. To my relief, I didn't get a voicemail message, which meant he had it on.

After two and a half tones, he picked up. "_Herro?_" he said, purposely slurring the word.

"Mutt? It's Natalie."

"_Oh, hey! Calling me pretty soon, aren't y-_"

"Listen to me!" I interrupted, which I really hate doing.

He was silent.

"Okay… After a weird series of events- not counting the events at school- I… uh… Don't take this wrong way. This is weird for me too." I smacked my forehead. Saying weird things like this has never been easy. "I have…" I inhaled deeply. "…wings."

He was still silent. I desperately hoped he didn't hang up. To both my relief and dismay, he laughed slightly. "_You're kidding, right?_"

"Why would I kid about something like this?"

"_Sounds fishy to me, Nat. How do I know this isn't a joke?_"

"Just come down here and see for yourself! I'm panicking here!"

"_M'kay, I will. Where do you live?_"

"280 Rethink Ave."

"_No way! I live on the same street as you!_"

I was too nervous to be thrilled. "Great. Now please hurry." My voice died down to a squeak.

"_Alright. See ya._" He hung up, leaving me to do the same.

I slowly walked back to the bathroom and looked in the mirror. They were still there. Half of me hoped they would stay long enough for Mutt to see.

The other half questioned how I was going to get rid of them.

I picked my jacket up and tried to put it on over the wings, a task I knew would be harder than taking it off. When it was on, I could still see them jetting between my shoulders. It was hopeless, so I threw it off again.

How did this happen anyway? Was it because of that popcorn kernel, or was this bound to happen to me sooner or later? Was it a freak coincidence or the result of… dare I say it… puberty?

There was a knock on my door. I rushed up to it and cracked it open a little. It was Mutt. Relieved, I opened it the rest of the way.

He jumped back slightly when he saw me. Then he took a moment to just look at me. I blushed and averted my gaze. Then he walked in.

"Okay," he managed to calmly speak up. "Convincing… How do I know this is real?"

My mouth fell open. How could he think this was a joke? "Mutt, I'm being serious here!"

"Hey, when you're around my cousins as much as I am, you never know when someone could be pulling your leg."

"Well if you don't believe me, see for yourself!"

Perhaps I should of rephrased that, because the next thing I knew he was looking down the back of my shirt! I found myself exclaiming again in discomfort.

"A-ha!" he shouted. "A strap!"

"Bra strap."

"Oh."

He took a closer look, then jumped back and let out a disturbed yell. I faced him, his face frozen in terror and soft pants escaping his mouth.

"O-Okay, I believe you."

I sighed with relief. "Good." The panic quickly returning, I grabbed his shirt. "Mutt, what am I gonna _do?_"

He pried my hands off. "Just calm down, Nat. It's alright."

"_Alright? _How is growing a pair of wings alright?"

He sighed and rubbed his temples. "Okay, explain to me where all this began."

I tried to straighten myself out and recall the events. I lead him into the kitchen. "Okay, I stuck this bag of popcorn in the microwave." I picked up the open bag. "But none of it popped. I tried again and still nothing. Then I pulled one out and popped it in my hand!"

He nodded as he followed long. "Show me."

Slightly nervous, I pulled a kernel out, clenched it in my fist, and popped it just like the last one.

"Whoa…" Mutt breathed as he grabbed it out of my hand. "Then what?"

"Then I ate it and suddenly felt this… rush of energy overpower me. Then I walked into the bathroom, pulled my jacket off and there they were!"

He nodded again as he examined the popcorn in his hand. With no ounce of fear on his face, he ate it. We waited, minor worry boiling in my stomach, but nothing happened.

"Huh… weird," Mutt said nonchalantly.

I shook my head. "I don't get it."

He took a moment to gather his thoughts. The awkward silence was making me antsy.

"Worse part is I have no idea how to get rid of them!" I added.

Mutt held his index finger up when an idea hit. "Maybe if you ate another piece…"

"NO!" I shouted. "I'm _not_ going through this again! What if it doesn't help?"

"Okay, okay," he said, not wanting to fight about it. "Maybe all you need to do is focus."

I tilted my head. "Excusez-moi?"

"Just focus your mind on removing the energy that changed you."

It was worth a shot. I closed my eyes and focused, picturing the wings disappearing from my body.

I felt a gentle burst of energy release itself from my back. When I peeked an eye open, I saw Mutt wearing a smug grin. I reached behind me and felt my back.

They were gone.

I sighed loudly with relief.

"There you go," Mutt said. "All it took was your willpower."

I felt myself smile. Glad that was over.

"Though…"

It wasn't over.

"…I wonder why nothing happened when I ate it." Mutt pulled a kernel out and tried to pop it with no avail. "So… weird."

I took it out of his hand and clenched it. Once again, it popped. "How come I can do it and you can't?"

"Maybe you're just special."

I frowned. "I'd hardly call manually popping popcorn and sprouting wings 'special,' Mutt."

He smiled, eyes wide and shimmering. Was he giving me the puppy-dog stare?

"You want me to eat it, right?"

He nodded.

"No."

"Please?"

"No!"

"_Please?_"

"_No!_"

"Come on, Nat! Do you wanna figure this out or not?"

"I wanna figure it out, but…"

"Then eat it so I can see this for myself."

"_NO!_"

"_Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeease?"_

"_Alright, __**FINE!**_" I reluctantly ate it.

The pain struck moments later. This time it didn't hurt as much; it felt more like a shock. I managed to stay on my feet as the wings reappeared on my back.

"Whoa…"

I folded my arms and looked away. "There, you saw it. Can I get rid of them now?"

"Why are you so worked up?" He grabbed my shoulders. "Nat, think about it. This could be happening for a special reason. What if these wings were given to you for a purpose? You have something special, Nat! You _are _something special! Embrace it!"

The blood in my face heated up. Did he just say I was special?

I gently pulled his hands off. "Maybe…" I turned around. "But what, then? Why is this happening to _me?_"

"I don't know the answer to that," he calmly replied, "but I'm sure this will all make sense soon enough."

I didn't know how to respond to that. Another awkward silence fell.

"Wings…" Mutt whispered. "Most creatures with wings can… fly."

I looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "What are you saying?"

* * *

"_WAIT, NO MUTT! WHAT ARE YOU DOING? STOP, NO…!_"

At this moment, Mutt had dragged me to the top of the rock pile at the swimming hole and was now pushing me towards the edge while I screamed at him.

"Trust me," he said. "I know what I'm doing!"

"_NO, NO MUTT! I CAN'T FLY! I CAN'T FLY! I CAN'T __**FLYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!**_"

He looked over the edge as I fell towards the murky waters. "Oops… Maybe I _don't_ know what I'm doing."

All I could think to do was scream. Scream and wait for the impact.

Time suddenly slowed down. I felt an energy flow through me. Not one like the energy I felt while transforming. This one made me feel… strong, powerful… confident. My eyes closed as I embraced the energy, letting it swirl around and through me.

I forced myself into and upward position and felt the wind rushing through my hair… from above me. I cracked an eye open and found myself rising higher and higher above the ground. I stopped when I was at eye level with Mutt, hovering. He wore his smug grin.

I felt a huge, excited one stretch across my face.

I was… _flying._

Too excited to stop now, I shot up like a bullet, watching as Mutt grew more and more distant. I started to get worried someone would see me, so I flew back down towards the swimming hole. Then I skimmed over top the waters, running my finger through it. Then I shot back up and froze, now on the opposite end of the swimming hole where Mutt was. He looked just as excited as me.

I slowly flew back over to him and landed on the big, flat rock. My legs were so shaky that I could barely stand! "Mutt…!" I squeaked.

He hugged me close to calm me down. "That… was _awesome!_"

"You really think so?"

"Heck yeah!" He looked me in the eyes. "Do you realize how amazing this is? I mean… flying? Most girls at my old school can't even _run!_"

I laughed softly… until he tilted his head inquisitively. My smiled faded as minor embarrassment set in. "Is… something wrong?"

"No, no. It's just… your eyes were darker earlier."

"What?"

"Here look." He let go of me and reached into his pocket. When he did, my legs became wobbly again. Then he pulled a pocket mirror out held it up to me.

Ignoring the incoming thought of just how vain carrying a pocket mirror seemed to me, he was right. My eyes were a brighter shade of blue than they normally were. They were a light sky blue, like my wings.

"Huh…" I choked up, getting used to the weirdness. "Maybe it comes with the wings."

Mutt shook his head. "I don't know. They were darker when I first showed up at your house."

"Really?"

He just nodded.

"You know…" I began as I thought this over. "On my way down I felt… a different kind of energy… as if something locked inside me was just… released."

His mouth fell open with intrigue. "Really?"

"Uh-huh. The only question is…"

I looked in the mirror again as my wings disappeared, my blue eyes fading back to their usual shade.

"…what?"


	2. A Predator

**Chapter 2: A Predator**

I couldn't tell where I was. My vision was fuzzy, and not just because I couldn't find my glasses. It was mostly dark… because I was lost in a large shadow.

Towering above me was a massive, silhouetted creature with glowing golden eyes. It glared down upon me as I gazed into its eyes, silently pleading. A loud yet low growl escaped the dark creature's chest and it slowly raised its front leg.

My natural reaction would normally be to run, but I felt intensely weak, as if I just got the living crap beaten out of me. Whether or not that was true I wasn't sure of. I really had no idea what was going on.

It raised its foot over top of me. I couldn't do anything except close my eyes.

When the impact came, I found myself jerking up in terror, blinded by light.

After a few seconds of squinting and panting, I realized I was in bed. It was just a nightmare.

I pulled my glasses off my night stand, put them on and looked at the clock. It was a little after eight, which is pretty late considering I'm a morning person.

Still kind of drowsy from my strange nightmare, I laid down on my back, exhaling in a loud, toneless way. What was that all about… and just what _was_ that thing? My dreams don't usually have meaning, so it could be just a regular old nightmare. I tried to shake it off.

Memories of what happened yesterday were still floating around in my brain. Other than that lunch period with Mutt, I still couldn't make any sense of it. Maybe that was part of the dream too. I sat up and looked over at my desk, spotting the bag of microwave popcorn on top of it.

Well, _that_ definitely wasn't a dream.

Even still, I was in minor disbelief. Can you blame me? I was flying around the swimming hole! And for what? What was going on with me? Was I always destined to be some… some… popcorn fairy?

For now, it was best to keep this a secret between Mutt and me. I didn't dare tell Mom, Dad or even Jared about it. One wrong move and I'd end up as a science experiment.

I hopped up out of bed, threw my robe on, and strolled downstairs. Mom was already up, but I didn't say much to her except "Good morning." I just poured some cereal and milk into a bowl and sat down at my computer.

The rest of my morning went on as usual… which was honestly making me a bit unnerved. After all that excitement yesterday I was questioning if there was more to come. What if there was more to all this than just the popcorn and wings?

And that dream… did it have some kind of relevance to my situation?

I decided to go see Mutt. Maybe he would have some uplifting words. I tried calling him, but I got his voicemail. I hate leaving messages- it makes me feel empty when I just talk to a machine- but I left one anyway. Then I looked at the clock. It was almost eleven. Jared, the complete opposite of a morning person, wasn't up yet. Maybe Mutt was asleep too.

After about fifteen minutes he called me back, his voice still a little groggy. "_Hey, what's up?_"

"Not much," I replied casually. "I just felt like we should talk about something."

"_Like what?_"

"Well, could you meet me somewhere? There's a little spot out in the woods where we could talk in private."

"_I guess. Just meet me in the cul-de-sac in five minutes._"

"Can do. See ya then."

We hung up, and I went upstairs to get myself ready. As usual, my hair was a disaster, but I didn't feel like worrying too much about that. My mind was other places. Once I was dressed and ready, I walked out to the center of the cul-de-sac, looking around anxiously for Mutt.

He walked out of the house right next to Double-D's. That must've been his new home. I would have to remember that.

He ran right up to me. "Hey, Nat. What'cha wanna talk about?"

"Pretty much the same thing as yesterday. Follow me."

He looked a little disappointed as I led him into the woods. I don't know why; maybe he didn't want to go over this again. Either way, I wanted this sorted out, and Mutt was a part of it whether he liked it or not.

We finally walked into a wide-open space surrounded by trees on all sides. This is where the local Urban Rangers camp out, but I like to come here every once in a while.

Mutt observed the scenery with an admiring smile. Then, looking back at me, he said, "Okay, shoot."

I was feeling a little uneasy at that moment, but I managed to start talking. "I'm just… concerned. Neither of us know what's going on right now, there's no way we can figure this out on our own, and if anyone else finds out about this I'll become front-page news."

"In a good way or a bad way?"

I shot him a sideways glance. Like that needed an answer. Then I sighed. "As if puberty wasn't bad enough… how am I supposed to cope with this?"

Mutt averted his gaze and wrapped an arm around me. "I know this weird and all… and I know you must be stressed right now, but we can't assume the worst. We'll figure this out in no time."

Now I was getting kinda sweaty. "Dude, you're seriously burning up. Are you sure you're alright?"

He pulled his arm off of me. "Yeah, I'm okay. Don't worry about it."

"How can I? I'm more worried about…"

"I know, I know! Don't freak out about this, Nat! You and I are the only ones who know about this, and I wouldn't dream of spilling the beans on you. All we have to do is some research, piecing together, and further study of your newfound abilities."

I scoffed. "Easier said than done."

"Yeah, I know. Where are we gonna find research material on this?" His tone quickly broke as laughter escaped his throat. I couldn't help but chuckle with him. Mutt makes me feel better.

But there was something else that needed to be addressed. "I uh… I also had a dream last night."

He looked at me with a silent gaze.

"I'm not sure if it has any relevance or if it was just a nightmare, but there was this… giant creature with golden eyes trying to kill me."

He shrugged. "Sounds like the basis for the average nightmare."

"You don't understand, Mutt. This felt real. I was in pain and… and whatever that thing was… I feel like I've seen it before… some way."

Mutt was silent. All was eerily quiet.

Too quiet.

Something wasn't right.

* * *

Meanwhile, Jimmy was sitting on a swing in the playground, humming a tuneless ditty. "I wonder when Sarah's gonna get here."

Jimmy is a strange boy. Mildly accident-prone and terrified of average boy antics, he hangs out with Ed's little sister, Sarah. Right now he was waiting for her to show up.

It was very quiet, not a sound other than his humming. He jumped slightly when he heard a low growl behind him. When he turned around, nothing was there. "Sarah…?"

He heard a rustling sound coming from the bushes on the other side of the fence. Every time a twig snapped, Jimmy cringed with fear. He lightly hopped off the swing and looked around. "Hello?"

There was another growl.

"Th-This isn't funny," Jimmy whimpered. "Whoever you are, you're in big trouble."

He nearly jumped out of his shoes when something clattered against the fence with a loud roar. He backed away, his eyes darting around, looking for whoever or whatever was doing this.

Then the fence was torn down completely. Jimmy stared in horror as the metal bars and netting fell to the ground with loud clangs. After the noise stopped, silence fell.

That's when he saw it.

From out of the bushes came a large creature with hazel-colored fur, red fans on its ears and tail, a long, red spike on each of its front legs, and glowing golden eyes. It growled at Jimmy, revealing razor-sharp teeth, and slowly approached him in a stalking position.

As anyone could guess, Jimmy ran screaming. But the beast was quickly on top of him. Finding himself pinned to the ground against his stomach, the boy grabbed onto the fallen fence as the creature tugged on his legs. He screamed, kicked and hollered, much to no avail.

He turned his head, his wide gaze locked on the beast's golden eyes.

"Sarah! Someone! _Help me!_"

* * *

I was sitting on a rock, deep in thought. By now I wasn't really in any shock, but I was still a little confused. The main question whirling around my head wasn't why this was happening, but why this was happening to _me._ People at school already viewed me as a freak, and now I had a reason to believe them.

I sighed and looked at Mutt, who was lying on the ground. "Mutt?"

He sat up. "Hmm?"

"About what you said yesterday, that this may be happening for a special reason, you really think this is some kind of asset?"

"Of course. You have to admit flying and stuff is pretty cool."

"Well maybe… i-if you say so."

He laid back down and I turned away slightly. Yes, flying is cool, but not when it could label you as…

My thoughts were interrupted when a sudden spark of distress came over me. I felt my vision heat up as random images flashed through my mind. I saw what looked like Jimmy in a panic and a pair of golden eyes… like in my dream. "Mutt…?"

"Yeah?"

"I think something's wrong."

"What do you mean?" His voice was lined with concern.

"I-I'm seeing images of Jimmy down at the playground… and something's attacking him."

"Wait…" He looked deep into my eyes. "Your eyes are bright blue again."

"What?" The flashing images were irritating me, so I closed my eyes and shook my head. When I opened them, they were gone.

"Okay, now they're normal."

"Are you saying my eyes were the same shade as they were yesterday?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying!"

I tried to piece this together. The flashing images, my eyes lighting up… "Maybe my powers also include precognition."

"I don't know what that means."

"It means maybe I'm seeing future events!"

"If that's true, then someone's in trouble!" He grabbed my wrist, hoisted me up, and took off in a sprint.

"Mutt, wait!" He didn't stop. "Even if Jimmy _was_ in trouble, what makes you think I can help him?"

"You're kidding, right? You have powers, Nat! You said so yourself! If you don't save this Jimmy kid, then who will?"

"His friend Sarah, maybe!"

"Sarah doesn't have powers! Now go get some popcorn and meet me at the playground!" He pushed me forward once we were at my house and took off towards the playground.

Frustrated, I brushed myself off and quickly walked inside. I had no idea how or why Mutt expected me to save Jimmy, or if he was in any trouble at all. Either way, there really was no arguing with Mutt, so I grabbed a popcorn kernel, stuck it in my pocket, and made my way to the lane near the playground.

Sure enough, I found Mutt staring wide-eyed as a large creature tried to maul little Jimmy. "Holy crap!" I shouted and skidded to a halt. "You actually expect me to fight that thing?"

"You're probably the only one who can! That little shrimp doesn't stand a chance!"

"B-But Mutt… I'm a pacifist! I don't have any fight in me!"

He turned and looked at me with fierce determination in his green eyes. "Having courage is no different, and I know you've got plenty of that."

Once again, I was no match for Mutt's willpower. I sighed loudly. "I'll try."

"Good enough for me."

I feigned a smile. At least he wasn't quoting Yoda.

With nothing to lose, I popped the kernel, ate it and threw my jacket off, letting the energy flow through me as my sky blue wings unfolded. As disturbed as I was by this whole experience, I had to admit that the sheer _power_ was invigorating.

My goal was clear: take down whatever the thing attacking Jimmy was without him realizing it was me. I knew that meant I'd have to stay in constant motion, but it was better than being discovered and/or humiliated.

So I hesitantly lifted myself off the ground, took a deep breath, and shot myself forward at an unimaginable speed. As I flew past the creature, I slammed my fist into the side of its head, sending it down on its back.

I was a bit surprised to see such an effective hit… coming from _me. _Either I was flying faster than I thought, I didn't know my own strength, or all of the above. Whatever the case, it was working, so I turned and readied myself to hit it again.

My energy built up in my clenched fist. I could feel it heating up, ready to burst out. I swung another punch, but before I could even touch the beast, a sudden blast of fiery blue energy shot out of my hand, launching it across the playground and into the swing set with a yelp. Pieces of popcorn scattered everywhere.

Shocked, I flew up high enough so that Jimmy couldn't make out any of my distinct features- I could tell he was awe-struck- and stared at my hands. "This is new." I focused energy into my hands again, causing them to light up with blue fire. Muffled in with the crackling and warping was the sound of popcorn popping. When I released it, several popcorn pieces fell to the ground.

Jimmy and I watched as they fell, then we quickly looked back at the creature as it stood up, shook itself off, and let out a loud roar that sounded like a mix between a wolf howl, a dinosaur screech, and a high-pitched ring. Jimmy covered his ears and squealed with terror.

As I stared into the glowing eyes of my enemy, I felt a rush of terror, denial, confusion, but most of all… intoxication. Never before have I felt this kind of power, and for the second time, I accepted it, welcomed it. Mutt was right. I had a special gift, and I knew what I had to use it for.

"Let's see if I can do that again."

Faster than a speeding bullet (cliché, I know), I shot down towards the beast and fired another blast of popcorn energy. Then I delivered hit after hit with the flames wrapping my fists. It took each one pretty hard, and with each blow, black and gold sparks seemed to shatter off of its fur.

Filled with rage, it jumped on me and pinned me down. I was instantly alert, worried Jimmy might see me, so I quickly kicked it off and over my head. Either it was lighter than I thought… or I really _did_ have enhanced strength. At this point, nothing surprised me.

While it was down, I shot another large blast, to which it yelped, then roared at me. I lifted myself off the ground again and flew upwards, taking a moment to calm down. My endorphins were giving me a headache.

I just now noticed that Jimmy had taken shelter beneath the slide. Based on the angle of depression between me and the slide, he couldn't see me.

…Which meant I really did have nothing to lose.

The power heated up, flowing within and around me. The flames surrounded my hands, and popcorn rapidly popped in the heat.

I couldn't help but shout out the popular internet phrase, "IMMA FIRIN MA LAZER!" when, with all the strength I could muster up, I fired a giant blue wave down upon the creature. Through my narrowed eyes, I could see it trying to fight back, trying to hang onto its will to live.

With an agonized cry, the creature exploded in a burst of black and gold sparks, blue fire, and popcorn. As the flames died down, the sparkling dust was somehow absorbed into the ground.

I panted, reflecting the crisis I just endured. I really just single-handedly took down some strange life-form with powers I didn't even know I had two days ago! How was this possible?

Jimmy timidly peeked out from beneath the slide, breathing in loud gasps. As he turned his head up to look at me, I quickly took off towards the cul-de-sac.

"Wait! _Wait!_" he called from behind me. I tried to push his squeaky voice out of my thoughts.

As the boy watched his hero fly away, he took a quick look around the playground. The fallen fence, the broken swing set, the charred grass, the scattered popcorn, and his own wounds; all evidence of the traumatizing experience he witnessed.

He picked a piece of popcorn up, studying it with curiosity. "Who _was_ that?"

* * *

I didn't stop until I was in my backyard, where Mutt was already waiting for me. I flew strait into his arms with pants and chuckles. "Did you see that?"

He hugged me tight. "You were amazing!"

"That was so insane!"

"I know!" He looked at me with wide, excited eyes. "How'd you do that?"

"W-Well…" I held my hands up. "I just focus my energy and fury into one, channel it into my hands and…" The flames reappeared.

"Wow. Doesn't that hurt?"

"Nope. It's actually an incredible feeling. And that's not all." The fire dissolved, and popcorn fell into my cupped hands.

"Sweetcakes!" Mutt picked up one of the pieces and went to eat it.

"No, no, _wait…!_" I had no idea what was in this popcorn, but I was sure it must've been lethal if it was enough to kill that beast.

I was too late. Mutt stuck it in his mouth while I stared at him, terror frozen on my face. He swallowed it blankly.

Nothing happened.

Now I was _really_ confused. "It's just… ordinary popcorn?"

He shrugged. "I guess."

"I-I don't get it!" I dropped my handful, to which Mutt quickly cupped his hands beneath me and caught half of it. "How could I have destroyed that thing with just plain old popcorn?"

"Plus the blue fire," Mutt threw in as he ate another piece.

"Maybe…" I squeaked with frustration. "None of this makes any sense! What _was_ that thing… and how was I able to beat it?"

He stuck the rest of the popcorn in his mouth and spoke, muffled. "I'unno, ut datz hut were onna hiyure ou." He swallowed. "If you beat it, maybe that thing was what you were given your powers for."

I shrugged and looked at the ground, letting my wings vanish.

He placed a hand on my shoulder. "I know this will all make sense in no time."

I smiled at him. "I think you're right."

"I _know_ I'm right. The important thing is to stay calm and focused. I've got your back on this."

Unable to hold it in anymore, I wrapped my arms around his warm body. "Thanks, Mutt. Thanks for helping me through this."

"No problem-o."

Here, at this moment, as I embraced this boy I just met yesterday, I somehow felt stronger than I ever have before, even more than I felt during the fight. Mutt gave me strength, and I knew I could trust him to help me through this dramatic change.

Something else came to mind. "Hey, should I be concerned that Jimmy may or may not have found out that was me back there?"

"Now's not the time to worry," he responded sincerely.

As usual, Mutt was right. With that, I led him inside, both of us ready to look into this phenomenon. Whatever was going on, we knew it would soon become clear.


	3. As If On Cue

**Chapter 3: As If On Cue…**

I woke up at my usual time the next morning, unnerved by the fact that I had that dream again. This time it was a little different. Mixed in with fear, I also felt anger as I stared up at what I could now tell was a much larger version of what I fought yesterday. But what was I mad about?

For now, my dream was pushed to the bottom of my list of concerns. I still wanted to know what was causing all of this, because everything that had happened to me so far had somehow been linked. How, I didn't know, but Mutt and I spent most of our time yesterday looking into any information we could find, most of which we gathered through our own tests. There was nothing on the internet that could relate to my situation.

From what we gathered, along with the wings, I also generate my own energy that can supercharge the popcorn I produce or be used in a similar manner as zero-point energy. As for that vision I had of the creature attacking Jimmy, nothing like that has happened since, which I assumed was a good thing.

My Sunday morning went on as usual. Thank God nothing out of the ordinary happened during church, but I was so nervous that something would that I barely even heard Pastor Mike. On the way home, Mutt texted me, telling me to meet him at the Peach Melba.

That caught me off guard. The Peach Melba was basically an alcohol-free bar for those under twenty-one. It was relatively new, but has quickly become a major hangout joint for my fellow students. If we were going to discuss my newfound abilities more, why would he want to do it in earshot of almost everyone I know?

I decided to ask him that myself. Right after lunch I walked downtown. My destination was right across the street from the candy store, and as I guessed, it looked crowded. I did, however, notice a go-cart parked outside. That was new.

I made my way inside, trying to look as nonchalant as possible as I scanned the room. This was my first time in here, and I never thought I'd ever come in. Only for Mutt…

There was a bar that served almost any soda you could think of, rows and rows of booths, a large-screen TV that was showing a rerun of "Wipeout", and an entire section for playing Euchre, rather than Poker. Mutt was lounging in an empty booth, smiling as soon as he spotted me.

I sat down in front of him. "What's up?"

"I figured this would be a good place to help you overcome your problem."

"Why _here?_ There's a bunch of people here."

"That's the point."

I tilted my head a bit. "Mutt, what are we talking about here?"

"Your social skills. I wanna help you learn to converse with the others."

"_Oh…_" Now it made sense… sort of. "Do we have to work on this _now?_ We've got other issues to worry about."

"Nat, we've figured out all that we can for now. So until another emergency strikes, we'll have to settle with what we know."

Suddenly, another emergency didn't sound so bad.

"All I want you to do is join someone in conversation. Easy. I'll be right behind you the whole time."

"But what if I don't have anything to say?"

"That's the point. Once you figure out what the topic is, just think of some things you may wanna ask or comment on. It's not like I'm asking you to _start_ a conversation."

I looked across the room. Sitting at one table was Sarah, Jimmy, Kevin, Rolf, Nazz and Jonny. Jimmy seemed to be leading the conversation.

I had a good feeling that I knew what he was talking about.

"You know? This is a good idea. Come on," I said in a rushed voice, then I quickly stood up and walked up to their table. Mutt actually seemed confused by my sudden enthusiasm.

What most people fail to realize is that I _do _have social skills. I just never express them. When I was right behind an empty chair, I said, "Hey, guys. Could I sit here?" Those words alone were enough to make my heart thud.

For a moment, everyone was silent. Their blank stares were frying my brain, and I was already starting to regret this.

Nazz was the one to speak up. "Aren't you…?"

"Uh… My name's Natalie. I live on you guys' street." Though nobody said I could yet, I sat down.

Kevin leaned back and narrowed his eyes. "Why are you all of a sudden sitting with us?"

I shrugged. "Just wanted a change of pace."

Jonny smiled. "I say let her. She seems nice." He paused while Plank "said" something to him. "Hey, come on, Plank. It's not like we're any different."

Although disturbed by Jonny's weird habit, I felt comforted by his willingness. Mutt gave me an encouraging nudge.

"And Rolf suspects the new-to-town boy is with you, black-jacket Natalie-girl?" Rolf asked. The way he nicknames everyone has always been amusing.

"Yeah, this is Mutt."

Mutt just nodded coolly.

Nazz batted her eyelashes. "Well, hello handsome."

Kevin and Jonny were quickly stunned by her interest in Mutt. They, like many boys, had crushes on her.

"Relax, you two," Mutt spoke up. "I've got my eye on another."

They sighed with relief. I was suddenly curious who this other girl was.

I'd worry about that later. "So, what were you guys just talking about?"

Kevin jabbed his thumb towards Jimmy. "Fluffy here says he was attacked yesterday."

"It's true!" Jimmy protested. "I was in the playground when this big alien-monster thing knocked down the fence and tried to kill me!"

Just what I was afraid of. I listened with wide eyes.

"But…" he continued. "But I was saved by… this winged being that shot popcorn at it."

"An alien monster and a popcorn-shooting winged thing," Kevin mocked. "Yeah, right. What's next, reptilian demons and the Antichrist?"

Sarah protectively wrapped her arms around Jimmy. "Leave him alone, Kevin! He's really freaking out!" She then whispered something into Jimmy's ear.

He yanked free. "I am _not_ crazy, Sarah! I saw it with my own eyes!" He reached down and slammed a plastic sandwich baggie on the table. "Here's the popcorn it left!"

The baggie contained several pieces of popcorn, mildly dirty and crumbly. Seeing how serious Jimmy was about this made me sweat.

Kevin shook his head. "Not buying it." Rolf shook his head in agreement while Nazz just shrugged.

The desperate boy groaned. "Jonny, you believe me, right?"

"Oh, a hundred percent," Jonny cheerfully replied. "However, Plank says you've gone loopier than a roller coaster."

Kevin and Rolf laughed. "Finally, the wood makes sense of itself!" Rolf boasted. Nazz shook her head in frustration.

Jimmy shook the baggie. "There's something magical about this popcorn!"

"Magic popcorn?" called a voice from across the room, and Ed quickly dashed up to the table, swiped the baggie, and dumped the popcorn in his mouth, much to Jimmy's complaining.

"Ed!" Edd groaned as he and Eddy stormed up to their friend.

While Jimmy yelled at Ed for eating his evidence and explained the story to the Eds, I pulled Mutt away.

He smiled. "You're doing good."

"They're talking about _me!_" I whispered.

"I know. You don't have to tell them it was you. Just bend the truth a little so you can stay in the conversation without them finding out."

I took a step back, slightly offended. "You mean _lie?_ You want me to break one of the Ten Commandments?"

He sighed. "If you don't wanna lie, then don't. But do something to keep your cover." With that, he spun me around and pushed me back towards the table.

"That's so COOL!" Ed squealed once Jimmy had told him the story.

"Yeah, right!" Eddy laughed. "What's next, reptile-an demons and the Antichrist?"

"My joke, dork," Kevin grumbled.

Edd placed his hand on Jimmy's shoulder. "Jimmy, are you sure you're not just imagining things? After all, based on your description of this 'winged being,' a human-sized creature couldn't possibly fly if they had that small of a wingspan."

Edd made a good point. My wings _were_ pretty small. How could they actually lift me? Just another question to put on the list.

Ed patted his sock-hat-wearing friend forcefully on the head. "Do not confuzzle yourself, Double D. Lots of things fly, 'cause they don't care what you say about 'em!"

Edd readjusted his hat. "However, I could look into this other creature that supposedly attacked you."

_Good luck,_ I thought.

"I still say this is just a hoax," Kevin growled. "There's no way some angel thing saved your life."

Jimmy pointed to the door. "Go to the playground and see for yourself! The fence is down and there's burn marks everywhere!"

He stood up in a huff. "Maybe I will!"

The last thing I saw was Jimmy and Kevin storming to the door. Then my vision heated up and new images flashed before my eyes, making me jump slightly. It was just like yesterday, except this time the same exact creature was attacking power lines.

Mutt sensed my distress. He quickly pulled me away. "What do you see?"

"Um…" They started to fade away. "It's exactly what I saw yesterday, and it's attacking the…"

As if on cue, the power went out, sending screams and gasps around the room, Jimmy's and Ed's being the loudest. Among the kids' cries was a familiar screech from outside, one that made everyone cover their ears.

"That's it!" Jimmy shouted. "It sounds like the same creature!"

For me, there was no denying that. I'd have to wait to hear the others' reactions. I was needed again.

"Go," Mutt whispered in my ear, and I quickly dashed to the other side of the room and into the restroom. Lucky for me, there was a small window that I could climb out of. Once outside, I grabbed an emergency popcorn kernel I had in my pocket, popped it and ate it.

_Here we go again…_

Flying towards where my instinct told me it was, a new concern came over me. The other kids were bound to come and see what was happening, and hiding from one kid was hard enough. From the way things looked, I'd have to stick to my previous plan of staying in constant motion. That couldn't be too hard.

Right…?

As soon as the creature came into view, I stopped, hovering in midair. I decided to take a quick moment to really piece this together. Whatever this creature was, it definitely had a destructive instinct, but I also noticed that it only attacked man-made items, like the fence and the power lines, as well as man itself. Other than that, I could tell it possessed vast human-like intelligence; others might not agree with me, but I just knew it.

This thing seemed oddly familiar to me, and not just because I fought one like it yesterday. What was it?

Down at the Peach Melba, the kids were peering through the door and windows, which told me that I had to get moving. With the same courage and fury I felt last time, I rocketed towards the creature hanging onto the pole. At the last second, I turned my body around so that my foot slammed into its face, knocking it to the ground.

I quickly zipped away, ducking under a shady tree, as my opponent regained its stamina. As soon as it was back on its feet, I ignited my fire and shot it at the beast, knocking it over again in a flurry of sparks and popcorn. Then I shot back out, grabbed it by the neck and flipped it over, punching it in the face with flames on my fist before flying out of the kids' sight again.

I looked down at the kids, studying each of their reactions. Jimmy was amazed, staring with shiny eyes at me. Ed was excited, pumping his fists like he was watching an action movie. Edd, Eddy, Nazz and Jonny were awestruck. Rolf almost looked terrified. Sarah was clinging to Jimmy in a reversal of their usual position.

Kevin looked at Jimmy with wide, unbelieving eyes. "Okay, Fluffy, I believe you."

"I tried to tell you."

Other than Jimmy, Mutt was the only one smiling. When he met my gaze he gave me an encouraging wink. That made me giggle dumbly, and I was glad no one could hear me.

Making a quick U-turn, I was once again headed for the creature, but before I could attack, it lunged up, pulled me down, and slammed me into the concrete. It didn't hurt as much as it would a normal human, but I was starting to get a grip on the fact that I wasn't a normal human. I retaliated by reaching behind me, grabbing its leg and pulling it away, causing it to fall over.

Back in the air, I prepared to launch another blast at it, but I froze when the beast raised its head and let out a loud, high-pitched wail. It rang in my ears, giving me an intense headache. I had no choice but to cover my ears, and the other kids did the same. When I saw Mutt, he looked like he was in as much agony as I was, even though I was closer to it than he was.

The weird thing was… I thought I heard a voice amidst the shrill noise.

"_Help me! I need assistance! It's HER!"_

It finally came to me. These things communicate through sonar, like dolphins! The noise died down and I pulled my hands away. The creature just called out for help, and I had a good feeling that it would get it. And what did it mean by "It's her"? Was it referring to me?

I felt a new presence behind me.

"Oh crap…"

The new arrival slammed into my back, knocking me out of the air and back on the ground. Pinned with my stomach to the sidewalk, I managed to turn my head so I could see it. This creature was much larger than the first two, with blue fans rather than red and a pair of metallic gold wings. It growled at me while the other one stalked up to my head, locking its golden eyes with my sky blue eyes.

So now I had to fight two at a time.

And one of them could fly.

"Lovely…"

I freed my arms and launched a popcorn blast at the creature pinning me down. It jumped off, rubbing its head as I lifted myself off the ground again. With my strength returning, I fired at both of them. The blue one leapt into the air and shot towards me, which I quickly dodged out of the way of. It quickly angled my way, bounding off the ground before following me in hot pursuit.

It was fast, no doubt, but I was reaching speeds I didn't even know were possible. I fired several shots, but it swerved away from each of them. Turning back to the red one, I flew its way, tackled it to the ground and blasted it. The blue one returned and knocked me off, but while we were in contact with each other, I threw it off of me and into the first one.

Mixed in with their pained growls, I heard… cheering. Back at the Peach Melba, the kids were rooting me on, raising their fists and shouting.

"Yeah, kick their butts!"

"You can do it!"

"Go, Popcorn Fairy!"

I felt a strange pang in my chest. Was this what it felt like to be loved by my peer group? I couldn't help but smile. Never before had I felt this way. They really _liked_ me.

And they needed me.

The red one jumped me while I was distracted. Snapping back to reality, I desperately hoped the kids didn't make out any of my distinct features. That could've ended in disaster. Returning to the battle, I grabbed the beast's ears, flew up and kicked it in the face.

Zooming towards the blue one again, I collided into it, smacking it around before throwing it back onto the red one. As the two lost their strength, I leaned in and slammed my fists into them again and again, sending popcorn pieces all over them. Strange. When it touched them, it seemed to burn their fur.

I lifted myself off the ground, flying high before I flipped over and shot back down with powerful velocity. Bright blue fire balls built up in my hands, and as I slammed on the brake, I launched them together in a continuous beam. Both creatures screamed in agony as their bodies seemed to expand under the pressure.

Just like yesterday, the beasts exploded. The black and gold sparkles from their bodies swirled about until they were absorbed into the ground.

The kids hollered and whooped, celebrating my victory. Silently taking in their cheer, I flew up and over the Peach Melba before swooping through the restroom window.

Alone in the ladies' room, I leaned against the door and panted. "I… I did it again…!" I shook my head, trying to regain my composure. This was just too amazing! How was I doing this? Those things have been going down way to easy if I was their only adversary.

Or maybe I really was stronger than I thought.

I let my wings disappear before I exited the bathroom. Mutt met me on my way out, greeting me only with a smile and a hand on my shoulder to avoid stares from the other.

I leaned in towards his ear and whispered, "Nobody could tell that was me, right?"

"If I didn't know better, I never would've guessed," Mutt replied to my relief.

The lights were still off, but the kids were still gathered at the door, going on and on about the fight. The Eds ran up to us, Edd and Eddy still dumbfound while Ed was extremely hyper. "Wasn't that so cool?" he shouted. "She totally kicked those monsters' buttocks!"

"Yeah, that was something, Ed," I replied. He had no idea what kind of view I had.

"That was unbelievable," Edd mumbled. "Those creatures… they weren't natural! What were they?"

"Heck if I know!" Eddy yelled. "But now what? What if there's more?"

_There will be more, Eddy,_ I thought. _I just know it._

"Okay, guys!" Mutt shouted above the crowd. "Let's get outta here so they can fix the electrical problem!"

"Good idea," Edd agreed as he and the others filed out the door. As I walked next to Mutt, I listened in on the other kids' conversations as they left.

"That was totally off the hook!"

"Who was that? How'd she do that?"

"Rolf is intrigued."

"Did you see those things? They could've mauled that girl!"

"See? What did I tell you guys?"

"I hope we can see her again soon."

I knew that their wish would come true. Who knew how many of those things were out there? I didn't take much comfort in the fact that I'd probably have to fight them all. The kids were right, they could kill me easily. How was I able to beat them?

_**VROOM**_

I jumped when I heard an engine roar to life. Lost in my own mind, I had now realized that Mutt had lead me into the go-cart I saw earlier. I laughed at my own blindness. "I didn't even know I had sat down in this thing! So this is yours?"

"Yep," Mutt responded as he jumped into the driver's seat. "This is what I get until I can drive a car."

As Mutt drove us back to the cul-de-sac, I decided to spark up a conversation. "This is unbelievable. Before this happened I couldn't so much as lift fifteen pounds. Mutt, I can't believe this is happening to me!"

"Neither can I," he said. "Honestly, I never would've expected something this big out of someone like you."

I nodded in agreement. "There's more to come. I just know it."

"There's no denying that, Nat. But I think I know how we can figure out what's going on."

I quickly perked up. That was the best news I've heard all week. "What is it?"

"I'll tell you later," Mutt replied as he pulled the go-cart behind his house.

Frowning, I moaned, "Why can't you tell me now?"

"Because first…" He shut the cart off, hopped out, and smiled at me. "…I want you to meet my parents."

"Your… parents?"


	4. Fueled up on Weird

**Chapter 4: Fueled up on Weird**

"Mom! Dad! There's someone I want you to meet!"

As Mutt dragged me into his house by the wrist, I took a good look around. He had a pretty big house, slightly bigger than mine. The living room had a rustic look to it with different earth tones, which I happened to like. It was all very warm and welcoming.

Mrs. Kanker rushed out of the kitchen and smiled. She was a lovely woman who looked a lot younger than her actual age, her long hair a richer shade of brown than Mutt's and her eyes the same shade of green. "Hello there!" she greeted me politely. "Are you a friend of Mutt's?"

So even his parents called him Mutt. I'd have to ask why later. "Yes, I am." I held up my hand. "I'm Natalie."

She gently shook my hand. "Oh, so _you're_ the famous Natalie Mutt's told us about."

"He's told you about me?"

"He has indeed."

"I hope he's told you good things," I teased as I released my hand.

"Oh, definitely. He has grown very fond of you since his first day at Peach Creek High. It's nice to finally meet you."

"It's nice to meet you too, Mrs. Kanker."

"Oh please, Natalie, call me Elizabeth."

I was a little surprised that she was already insisting on friendly terms, but I smiled and nodded in agreement. Then I turned back to Mutt. "So where's your dad?"

"He's probably upstairs in his study," Mutt responded before running halfway up the staircase. "Hey Dad! I want you to meet Natalie!"

I couldn't keep from blushing. I'm not one for big introductions, and the anti-socialist in me didn't want to stay long. But I couldn't be rude, especially not to Mutt or his family.

"Would you care to sit down?" Elizabeth asked me, gesturing towards the couches.

"Oh, thank you," I replied, sitting down on one of two velvet brown couches and slipping my shoes off.

Elizabeth sat down in a chair. "So do you live around here?"

"I live just down the street."

"Oh, great!" She leaned back. "I must tell you, it's so nice to see Mutt making friends this quickly after the move."

"What do you mean? Didn't Mutt have friends back in Detroit?"

"Yes, he had plenty. He was just a little worried about starting fresh in a smaller environment than he's used to. Then there have been these strange symptoms he's been going through…"

"Symptoms? You mean that fever he keeps telling me is no big deal?"

"It's not just the fever." She seemed distraught. "He's also been going through migraines and cramps."

"_Mom…_" Mutt complained as he and his father stepped into the living room. "Quit worrying about me. I'm _fine._"

"We don't know that yet, Mutt," Mr. Kanker argued.

I stood back up. "And you must be Mutt's dad."

He shook my hand. "That I am. Call me Henry. You're Natalie, correct?"

I simply nodded in return before sitting back down. "So your name is Henry too?"

"Yes, I'm the second generation. Mutt's the third."

Mutt frowned slightly as he sat down next to me. I turned to him. "I've been meaning to ask you," I said. "Why exactly is your nickname 'Mutt'?"

Before Mutt could answer, his dad cut in saying, "It was his great-grandfather's nickname. He was a World War II fighter pilot."

"Really? That's so cool!" I didn't know or care much for history, but to think Mutt was a descendant of a WWII pilot was extraordinary.

"So Natalie," Elizabeth asked, "do you like it here in Peach Creek?"

"I love it!" I responded. "Lived here my whole life. Sure, it's a little annoying being so far away from stores and stuff, but I like the calm serenity that comes with suburban life."

Henry nodded. "The quiet neighborhood is a little foreign to us, as you can well imagine."

I shrugged. "Actually, a lot of action goes on around here." More than they knew, that was for sure.

"Well, I'm glad you're helping Mutt learn the ropes around Peach Creek."

"Thanks." As I leaned back, I silently took in the fact that it was mostly the other way around. Mutt was doing fine in the Creek. _He _was the one helping _me._

* * *

We were at Mutt's house a lot longer than I had anticipated. During our talk, I learned that Mutt's parents were both doctors who searched for new jobs in my county so they could be closer to the rest of their family. Henry and Elizabeth were wonderful people, but I couldn't help but notice that most of the time, Mutt looked bored or upset.

It was getting late, and we had school tomorrow. As Mutt led me back to the go-cart so he could take me home (even after I insisted that I could walk), I decided to ask him, "Were you alright back there? You seemed annoyed at how well I got along with your parents."

"It's not that," he insisted. "Let's be honest, when you weren't talking about stuff we both knew contradicted _everything _we've been through since we met, they were completely embarrassing me!"

"Hey, it was _your_ idea for me to meet with your parents, not mine," I reminded him as I sat down in the go-cart.

"Actually, it was _their_ idea. They wanted to meet you after I told them all about you."

"And by 'all about me' you mean…?"

"Come on, Nat. Of course I didn't tell them about the whole Popcorn Fairy thing." Mutt then started up the cart and hopped into the driver's seat.

"So would you mind telling me what this idea of yours is regarding how we're going to figure out why I'm the Popcorn Fairy?"

"Sure," he replied as he casually drove towards my house. "What company brand was the popcorn that started this?"

"Uh…" I had to take a moment to remember that one. "I think it was… Pop Central."

"So we just go to their nearest plant and ask them if they know what's up."

Though I had to admit that was a good idea, I had my doubts. Would they know anything about supernatural properties in their popcorn? And what were we supposed to tell them? "Your popcorn turned me into some kind of super hero"? Not in this life.

Pulling into my driveway, Mutt told me, "Listen, don't get too worked up about this." He dropped his head into his hand. "Just talk it over with your parents. We may or may not get somewhere with this, but it's worth a shot."

I couldn't respond to that as long as Mutt looked ready to vomit. "Are you sure you're alright?"

He groaned and leaned against the wheel. "I don't know anymore…"

I gently placed my hand on his forehead. It felt like there was an inferno under his skin! "Okay Mutt, you seriously need to get checked out!"

"I think you might be right," he mumbled weakly.

As I climbed out, I asked, "Are you going to be alright driving back home?"

Giving me a sideways smile, he responded, "Nat, I live twenty seconds from here. I think I can make it."

"Okay… but if there's any trouble, you let me know."

"Can do." And with that, Mutt pulled out and drove away.

I silently watched him go, hoping this was nothing serious. Then I opened up the garage door, heading back inside.

At the same time, Mutt was pulling his go-cart around the back of his house, parking it in the shed. All that talk about him having fevers and cramps was really starting to sink in. His legs were tense to the point where he had to stop walking and lean against the shed wall.

His breathing intensified as a fire ignited in his chest. The pounding of his heart shook his whole body until he was on his hands and knees, screaming with all the air he could muster. Muscles throbbed and convulsed. The fire spread through his veins. It was as if something was changing from the inside out.

Mutt clawed at the dirt as these strange forces pushed against him inside. He felt as though he were about to tear right out of his skin.

And that's exactly what happened.

* * *

I talked over the idea of a trip to the popcorn plant with my parents. To my surprise, they were thrilled with the idea of doing something with my new friend. Of course, Mutt was the first real friend I'd had in a long time, and most of my time was spent on the computer, so of course they liked that I wanted to have fun with him. Fortunately I didn't have to lie to them; I just never mentioned the real reason why we were going.

Now that it was out of the way, I could turn in for the night. After the kind of weekend I had, I needed a good sleep. But once I was alone in my bedroom, I sat down and went into thought again.

Would the guys who made the popcorn really have something behind what was happening to me? What if they didn't? What would I say to them? I'd have to think this one through so that it sounded logical if they weren't the cause of this. Hopefully Mutt would help me out like he has been since we met. I don't know what I'd do without him.

Then it happened again. My senses burned as images flashed in my mind. I saw Mutt on the ground, crying out in agony. I saw him practically being torn apart. And finally, I saw what almost looked like those things I had fought.

Now I was scared. Though I wasn't entirely sure whether or not it was the same creature- because it looked slightly different- I worried about Mutt. Did one of them get him? Was he safe? I had to know.

Without the slightest doubt, I popped a kernel, ate it and transformed again. Then I locked my door, opened the window and flew out, right into the magnolia tree in front of our house. "Dang it!" Once I was out, I brushed myself off, left with only minor scratches. Then I headed towards Mutt's house.

Mutt's parents must've been occupied at the moment, because no one noticed me descend into their backyard. I took a quick look around; I would've called out for Mutt, but then someone might see me. His go-cart was still out, and based on how hot the engine was, it had only been a few minutes since Mutt vanished. Then I looked down…

Spread out across the lawn were torn scraps of fabric and denim. I knelt down and picked a few pieces. These were Mutt's clothes alright. So what did this?

After taking a closer look at the grass, I noticed that certain patches angled differently than the rest, as if something had walked across it. It almost looked like paw prints, and to me they were about the same size as those creatures'. I quickly followed the trail into the woods.

It didn't take long for me to lose that trail, but at least I was alone and could actually yell for him. "Mutt! Mutt, where are you?"

I waited in silence for a response.

Nothing.

_Oh Mutt… I know something happened to you, but what?_

I jumped slightly at a faint rustling noise behind me, turning around to find the source. Something was stalking through the bushes. Just in case it was one of _them,_ I heated up the fire on my hands.

It peaked out of the brush, gazing at me with dark green eyes. That alone made me lower my defenses slightly. Every creature I had fought had large golden eyes. And it wasn't a menacing glare either. It almost looked like a gentle plea.

Then it finally emerged. It looked similar to them in several ways, but looked like an ordinary, yet very large animal. At first I thought it might be a bear with lush tan fur and brown undertones. Then I realized it looked too canine to be a bear. It was more like a large wolf.

As it stepped towards me, I held a hand up, silently telling it to stay away. As long as it posed no threat, I wouldn't hurt it.

Then it stopped, gazing off to the side as if it was trying to think. Meanwhile, I was trying to figure out what an oversized wolf would be doing in Peach Creek. Did it have something to do with Mutt's disappearance?

The wolf took one step closer, staring curiously at me. I returned the look. "Are you trying to tell me something?"

Did it… nod at me? It understood me!

It curled its lips up over its teeth in a sideways curve, as if it was giving me a cool smile. For a while it looked kind of creepy until its tongue rolled out. Its smile fell when that happened, and out of frustration it… _facepalmed _itself?

I finally understood. "**_Mutt?_**"

The wolf looked back up at me with wide eyes and nodded again.

I couldn't believe this. Mutt… a wolf. There was just no way. I tried to convince myself that this wasn't real, that the animal in front of me wasn't really Mutt.

And yet there I stood with sky blue wings.

This couldn't be weirder.

I cautiously stepped closer. "Is it… really you?"

He brought himself face-to-face with me, whimpering timidly and flattening his ears. With shaky fingers, I reached up and stroked his tan fur.

"This… This is insane. How did this happen?"

He whined again, and it almost sounded like he said, "I don't know."

I shook my head. "I don't believe this. I become a fairy and you become a wolf. It's no wonder we get along so well."

Mutt actually snickered.

"It's not funny, Mutt. It's disturbing. Now we have two transformations to worry about."

He finally caught my drift, lowering his head.

"Can you try to change back to normal the same way I do?"

After a slight pause, he gave me a look that said he would try. Then he crouched down, focusing hard.

I stood there watching in shock and fascination as Mutt's body shrank and morphed back into a bipedal form, his fur was pulled back into his pores, and his soft, pained grunts transitioned into human moans.

Then I stepped away, noticing one problem.

Mutt sat back up, staring at his hands. "It worked! I'm back!"

"You're naked."

"OH GOD!"

With no other options, Mutt dove into the bush behind him. "Nat, could you get me some shorts or something?"

"Um… Okay." I saw no point in arguing. Who would want to walk in the house and have their parents see them naked?

In a flash, I flew back to Mutt's house, circling around to his bedroom window. Once I was in, I walked up to his dresser while also looking around. He had an average-looking room; small TV, full-sized bed… and two guitars? _Mutt plays guitar?_ I thought, staring wide-eyed at one electric and one acoustic guitar standing upright along the wall. That was so hot! I wondered what he think when he found out I could play piano! We could do a duet!

I suddenly realized I had lifted myself off the floor with my swooning. I dropped back down, feeling stupid for my emotions. Yes, I had to admit I was developing a crush on Mutt, but there's no way he'd ever return the feeling. I looked like a dork and was turning into a freak.

Then again, so was he.

Back to the mission: getting some clothes for Mutt. I opened up his drawers, pulling out a pair of boxers, shorts, and a t-shirt. Then I flew back outside, closed the window and returned to Mutt.

When I found him he was sitting up, still shielding his private parts with the bush, observing his body. "Nat, tell me something," he said before I even landed. "Do I look more… muscular to you?"

I found that question a bit odd, but I observed him anyway. He already looked strong the first day I met him, and of course this was the first time I had seen him without a shirt (or any other article of clothing). Nonetheless, he was right. The muscles in his arms were so huge I could only compare them to guys in movies, his chest looked rock solid, and his abs had developed a six pack.

Tossing him his clothes, I replied, "That's impressive. You work out?"

"Yeah, but not like _this!_" He started slipping on his shorts. "Honestly, I was nowhere near this buff before I transformed."

"So what, you think that body came with the wolf thing?"

"I don't know. Did the blue fire come with the Popcorn Fairy thing?"

I actually let out a chuckle. "Point taken."

He stood up as soon as he had covered what he needed, not even bothering to put the shirt back on. He was still in awe of his muscles. "This is incredible."

"You could say that. Now what happened, Mutt?"

"Well…" He rubbed the back of his neck. "I was starting to feel sick by the time I got home. I felt this… intense pain, like my body was trying to change in a matter of seconds. Then everything was forced out and I… found myself on four legs."

This was crazy. First me and now Mutt. I wrapped an arm around his body, which was a lot hotter than I remembered. Perhaps this was the cause of that too. "Wow," I laughed. "We're all fueled up on weird this week, aren't we?"

"And how."

"So now we're both freaks, huh?"

"Nah, you're no freak, Nat." He placed an arm over my shoulder, stroking my wing. "At least your transformation was minor. You're still adorable."

_A… Adorable?_ Mutt thought I was adorable? The blood in my cheeks was heating up again.

"Somebody's blushiiiiiiiiiiiiing," Mutt cooed in a singsong voice.

I gave him a light slap on the arm as we started walking back to his house. "Speak for yourself. You were a pretty cute wolf."

"When _don't_ I look good?"

"Somebody's vain," I retorted in the same tone Mutt used.

We both laughed, then fell silent until we were at his backyard again.

"So, we on for that trip tomorrow?" Mutt asked me.

"Uh-huh. My parents like the idea."

"Great!" He suddenly leaned in and kissed my cheek. "See you at school!" Then he dashed inside.

I meant to reply to that, but my mouth couldn't form the words. I was just frozen in shock. Mutt… kissed… me. I had never been kissed by a boy I wasn't related to, even if it was on the cheek. This was… just too amazing! Feeling partially love struck and partially stupid, I laughed out loud, not caring who heard.

Quickly and energetically, I shot up and soared back to my house. My heart felt so light that I would've said it felt like I was floating, but since I really was, that analogy didn't work.

Finally, I was back in my room. I knew I needed rest, but I didn't know how I would ever fall asleep feeling this great. I couldn't believe that Mutt might actually like me as much as I like him! I looked at myself in the mirror; my wings were fluttering. I'm not much to look at, and yet Mutt saw something in me. I just knew it. Maybe it was because we were somewhat in the same boat, or did he like me for _me?_

My joy was clouded by that old question:

_Why _was this happening to me? To _us?_

I sighed, let my wings vanish, and sat down on my bed. The trip to the popcorn plant might answer the questions behind my transformation, but what about Mutt? What was happening to him?

For the time being, I had to let it go. After all, I had school tomorrow, and I'd have to find some time to figure out what to ask the guys at Pop Central. With nothing else to do but wait, I readied myself for bed. Tomorrow was going to be a long day.

That night, I had that same nightmare again.

* * *

My first five periods, as I feared, were slow, nerve-racking, and filled with whispers about the mysterious Popcorn Fairy. I had learned not to let what others say bother me, but to know they were talking about me on the terms of something I still didn't understand, daydreaming was all I could do to keep me from hiding in the restroom until lunch.

To add insult to injury, Mutt was quiet at lunch. Girls all over school were commenting on his new body, but to my surprise, he only offered shy thank-you's in return. Why he wasn't talking to me, though, I really didn't understand. Last night he seemed so casual after his transformation. What was the problem now?

At last he said, "I've been thinking about what you told me."

"Hmm? What's that?"

"About how we have two problems. We have a lead for your transformation. This came out of nowhere for me. How do we figure this one out?"

"Don't worry about it, Mutt. You've helped me get through this, so I'll do the same for you. We'll know what's up with us in no time… hopefully."

He smiled slightly before taking a drink of milk.

"So," I asked, "how are we getting to the popcorn plant?"

"Well, you can go home with Jared after school. My parents and I will pick you up around 3:30, then they'll drop us off and look around the city until we're done."

"Sounds good."

I wanted to mention something about that nightmare to Mutt, but I kept silent. Perhaps it was best not to assume what it was about until we knew more about me.

For the last two periods of the day, I prayed that this trip would work.


	5. Finally, Some Answers

**Chapter 5: Finally, Some Answers**

The final bell rang, telling me that it was time to face the music. Considering I was going home first, I saw no reason to hurry when leaving the band room. Jared and I met at the car at our usual time, which meant I was the first one out and had to wait for him three to five minutes. During that wait, I overheard Kevin and Nazz riding by on his bike. They were talking about- no surprise- me.

The time between arriving home and being picked up by Mutt's parents was the longest forty-five minutes of my life, but the time had come at last. I didn't bring anything with me except my phone and a few emergency kernels, knowing I'd be busy most of the time.

To my surprise, we actually talked a lot in the car. Between small one-liners, we talked about their life back in Detroit, my life here in Peach Creek, our plans for the future, and some things Mutt and I have done since their move here, minus the obvious.

When we were almost there, I decided to bring up what was on my mind last night. "So Mutt, when were you going to tell me you play guitar?"

"Oh, I figured you'd find out sooner or later."

"He was actually in a band back in Detroit," Elizabeth threw in.

"Wow. You know, I play piano."

"You do?" Mutt questioned, then chuckled and elbowed me. "I should've known. Maybe we should find a bass player and a percussionist so we can form a band."

"That would be interesting," Henry laughed.

After a half hour drive, we pulled in at the Pop Central packing plant. Before Mutt and I climbed out, Elizabeth asked, "So why did you decide to come here?"

That caught me off guard. What was I supposed to tell them? I couldn't lie to them! Before I could say anything, Mutt quickly answered, "Cheap tours, free samples, find out how they make the great snack; you get the picture, Mom."

"And my church is a few minutes away," I found myself thinking out loud.

"Oh, that's nice!" Elizabeth chimed.

"Alright, see you guys later," Mutt said as we hopped out.

After watching them pull out, Mutt gently took me by the arm and started walking towards the entrance. "Well Nat, let's see what these guys know."

"I hope it's a lot," I muttered. "I'm starting to get freaked out by all this."

"Yeah, it's weird, but there's an answer to everything. We'll figure ourselves out in no time."

I just shrugged at that.

Something else that caught me off guard was the entrance, considering the walk-through metal detectors at each door. "Why would a place like this need metal detectors?" I asked Mutt.

"I guess you can't be too careful," he replied, stepping through one and receiving a green light.

After setting my phone on the conveyer belt next to the detector, I followed him in.

The light turned blue.

"Uh… What does that mean?"

"I don't know," Mutt said. "Maybe it wasn't a good scan."

To test this, I walked out and then reentered, but it was still blue.

"Huh…" Unsure if this was putting me at risk in here, I walked up to the front desk and asked the lady behind it, "Um, excuse me, but what does it mean when the metal detector turns blue?"

She gave me a double take before rasping, "It turned blue?"

"Yeah, is that bad?"

"Do it again. Show me."

I decided to follow her orders. She worked here, so she probably knew best. Once again, I left the building and walked back inside, letting the detector flash blue.

She gasped, quickly picking up her phone. "Mr. Tucker, could you come down to the main lobby? We have a blue light."

I was shocked. Sure, we came here for answers, but they were already bringing the boss to me without even needing to ask? This must've been serious.

I was ordered to sit down, which Mutt and I reluctantly followed after I retrieved my phone. In no time at all, a man who looked about as tall as my brother- and Jared's pretty darn tall- with light brown and grey hair walked up to the front desk, looking my way. "Is she the one, Pam?"

"She's the one."

"A little young, don't you think?"

"Don't ask me. I just do what I'm told."

The man nodded before walking up to me with a smile. This was giving me chills. What did they mean by "the one"? Were they just referring to me as the one who walked through the metal detector and got a blue light special? He _did_ say I was "a little young", but in regards to _what?_

Did this have something to do with what we came here to ask about?

The man, who I assumed was the manager, met my gaze with his eyes, which matched the color of his hair. "You set off the blue light?"

"Uh… huh…" I could barely speak, or nod for that matter.

He held his hand out. "Miss, my name is Elton Tucker. I run this place."

Politely, trying not to look nervous, I shook his hand. "Nice to meet you."

Before I could let go, he hoisted me out of my chair. "Allow me to explain what's going on, Miss… What's your name?"

"Natalie…"

"Natalie, right. If you would just come with me…"

"Wait!" Mutt stood up. "What about me?"

"Are you with her?" Mr. Tucker asked.

We both answered, "Yes."

After thinking about it, he kindly said, "Sorry, but I think it'd be best if I speak with her alone.

_Alone…?_ It was bad enough this guy was asking to spirit me away, but I didn't want to go without Mutt. I had grown to feel safer with him.

Mutt smiled, as though he could sense my fear with his new wolf instinct. "Don't worry," he whispered, pointing to his ears. I guessed that meant if anything went awry, he'd hear it.

Without even giving him a sign that I understood, I left Mutt and followed Mr. Tucker into a room marked "employees only." As I expected, this was the main packaging room. Many of the employees looked our way, obviously confused as to why there was a teenager walking alongside their boss.

Mr. Tucker said nothing as I followed him. My fear was slowly turning into annoyance. "Um… If you don't mind, I have a few questions."

"Not in here," he mumbled.

"Why not?"

"You'll see."

We kept walking until we were at the other end of the room, standing before an elevator door. There were no up or down buttons, just a keypad, which he typed out a combination on. When he finished, the door slid open and we stepped inside the elevator.

As soon as it closed and we were descending, he spoke up, "I know why you're here, Natalie. We've been expecting you."

"Y-You have…?"

"Mm-hmm. This will all make sense soon. Trust me."

"I'm honestly having a hard time doing that."

He chuckled. "Don't worry. I'm here to help you."

I only offered him a nod.

The door slid back open to reveal what looked like a high-tech office containing rows of men at computers, giant screens displaying 3D maps, and various scanners. I was shocked. I had only seen this kind of technology at science museums. What was a place like this doing beneath a popcorn packaging plant?

"Alright, let's get started, shall we?"

I looked up at Mr. Tucker, who was once again smiling at me. "O… kay."

When he was leading me once again, I looked around at the advanced technology and the people manning them. Like upstairs, they were staring at me, only not with confusion, but fascination. I quickly turned away with embarrassment. "So what is this place?"

"Here at Pop Central we have two purposes. Obviously we package popcorn, but we have also taken on the responsibility of monitoring the activity of creatures known as Minusions."

"Minusions?"

"You probably know what I'm talking about. They're large creatures with golden eyes and extreme ferocity. Their mission is to bring a downfall to mankind so they can become the dominant species."

So that's what those things were called? If these people knew that, then they had to know what my side of the story is!

He looked back at me. "You _do_ know what I'm talking about, right?"

"Yeah. I think I've seen those things in my home town."

"Peach Creek?"

"Uh… Yes." They even knew where I lived? Creepy.

Turning away again, he explained, "The Minusions first appeared in Peach Creek because it's where you reside. They're looking to destroy you."

"_ME?_ Wh-Why would they want to destroy _me?_"

He turned back around and faced me. "Because you are their equal opposite."

"…?"

"Have you been able to defeat the Minusions single-handedly or not?"

"Y-Yes…"

"Our special popcorn has unlocked the true power developing inside you since birth."

"You mean that popcorn that I pop in my hand?"

Mr. Tucker smiled again and nodded. "When we discovered the beginning of the invasion, we sent out packages of that popcorn to your area so you could use it to fully transform and fight them. Do you have any of those kernels with you?"

"Um… Yeah." Warily, I pulled one of the kernels out of my pocket for him to see.

"Pop it."

I scowled slightly. He was really going to make me do this in front of all these people. Arguing with this adult man wasn't going to be like arguing with Mutt.

With everyone watching, I clenched the kernel in my fist, then held the popcorn up for him.

He nodded. "Now show us your power."

"Seriously?" I groaned.

"Don't be ashamed of what you are."

"That's not the problem! It's just that…" I looked at the other employees, then back at him. Through my teeth I growled, "…everyone's _staring at me!_"

"Natalie, I know what you can do. The detectors upstairs were picking up your energy."

"What does that even mean?"

"I'll get to that as soon as you prove yourself."

"Rgh… Fine, I'll do it."

I let my shoulders slump a little as I shoved the popcorn into my mouth and closed my eyes. The power sparked up inside me, flowing through me and out me. Once that happened, I threw my jacket off, revealing my bright blue wings. Without even looking, I could tell everyone was amazed at me. Cracking my eye open to see them only made me feel worse.

While the others went on with their murmuring, I looked back at Mr. Tucker. "Okay, so you obviously know what I am and what those creatures are. Now can you explain to me what exactly has happened to me, where they came from and why I can beat them?"

"Gladly." He turned around and called out, "Monty, kill the lights and start the slideshow!"

At his order, the lights went out and the largest monitor lit up with a slideshow of old paintings.

"Centuries ago, when America was still under Great Britain's control, two stars descended upon Earth, one blue and one gold. They both had extraordinary energy levels which were equal and opposite of each other. But their power could only be controlled by the one that they chose. The Blue Star chose a woman named Rosalina King, and the Gold Star chose her husband, Wayne. At first they used their strong power to help people, but the power of the Gold Star soon corrupted Wayne's mind. He wanted more. I'm sure you can guess what happened after that.

"In his quest for greater power, the Gold Star started to change him both physically and mentally. Rosalina worried about her husband, but when she tried to talk him out of his power-hungry ways, he threw the Blue Star into a nearby maize field where it was absorbed into the soil. All seemed lost, and soon Wayne's body had absorbed the power not only from the Gold Star, but from various animals he thought could benefit his strength. He had transformed into a creature that people dubbed 'Minusion', and with his amplified energy, he could create beings just like him. They were the army; he was the king.

"But the power of the Blue Star was not lost. It had been recreated in the maize crops, and Rosalina discovered that she still had control over it. By consuming the expanded kernels, she became as powerful as King Minusion and was able to destroy his body. However, she could not destroy the energy. Many years later, long after Rosalina's death, the Gold Star energy that had been lingering beneath Earth's surface had reformed into King Minusion. He once again wreaked havoc on the surface world. When that happened, the Blue Star energy was reawakened in a direct descendant of Rosalina in the form of the maize, and just like her, she defeated the Minusions.

"This cycle has been going on since its first happening. The Blue and Gold Star energies reawaken at the same time to balance each other out, and only the one human who controls the Blue Star can defeat King Minusion. That one human, Natalie, is you. You are the eighth successor of the Blue Star."

"_**WHAT?**_"

I started backing away from him as much as my shaky legs would allow. "No! No way! There's no way Earth's fate is in my hands! I'm not this 'Blue Star successor'! I can't save the world!"

"But you can."

"_I can't save a landlocked fish!_"

"Natalie, if you're not what we know you are, explain to me why you have wings."

I looked at my wings, then back at Mr. Tucker. "I don't know! Maybe it's puberty! I _am_ in high school!"

"Yes, I have to admit you're the youngest successor there's been so far."

"Stop it! There's no way I can fight back something that powerful!"

"You're just as powerful as they are!"

"NO I'M NOT!"

"Natalie, please!" He walked back up to me and grabbed my shoulder.

Big mistake.

I'm hypersensitive to touch, especially on the shoulders. My normal reaction to that would just be to wrench away, but his touch mixed in with my built-up panic caused me to scream, shoot up, and cling to a light fixture. I quickly regretted my actions, seeing as how they only elicited more stares.

"Natalie, could you please listen to me?"

"No, _you_ listen to _me!_" I shouted, swinging helplessly on the light. "Okay? I don't care if I have the power of the Blue Star! It's not gonna change the fact that I can't save anyone! And that's not all! I don't have much of a reputation. I'm just known as a loaner at school, and yeah, I'm starting to get over that. But now I have every reason to believe that I'm some kind of freak!"

"You are not a freak!"

"Then how did I get up here, Elton? Do you see a ladder? Because I don't!"

"Listen to me! You have yet to discover your true potential! I'm sure this is all very confusing, but you were born to do this, Natalie! You've already beaten how many Minusions?"

I hesitated for a moment before answering, "Three…"

Mr. Tucker sighed. "You shouldn't doubt yourself. You will do great things, dear. I promise. Are you a Christian?"

"Yes," I mumbled just loud enough for him to hear.

"Do you know Philippians 4:13?"

Of course I did. How could I forget it? I've had that verse memorized since I was five. "I can… do all things through Christ who… gives me strength."

He nodded. "If you took a moment to find out who you _really _are, you'd see that you _can_ save the world. It's possible."

I didn't know how to respond to that. I had never thought of myself as a hero, nor did I ever consider becoming one. Could I really do this? They all seemed to believe in me, and I knew Mutt would have encouraging words when I explained this to him.

Slowly, I let go of my perch, using my wings as a parachute to safely float back down. I shook my head. "I don't know if I have that much faith in myself."

Rather than my shoulder, Mr. Tucker lightly grabbed my arm. "Would you like a suggestion?"

A suggestion? Yes I wanted a suggestion! I felt hopeless!

"There are plenty of people in this world with supernatural abilities. If you find the right ones, they can help you in this mission. Form a team, Natalie."

A team. That wasn't a bad idea. I was only a teenage girl, so the way I saw it, I needed all the help I could get. Fortunately I already had someone there to help me: Mutt.

Speaking of which…

"So," Mr. Tucker said, "I'd like to run some tests to find out what abilities you have. The energy is amplified over time, so you may have powers no other successor has had yet."

"Wait…" I held a hand up. "If it's not too much to ask, I'd like my friend to come down here. He already knows about this and he'll probably be my first recruit, so I think he deserves to be let in on this."

"If that's what you'd like," he replied with a smile. "He was the muscular one with the big hair, right?"

"Yeah, that's him."

"I'll send someone to go get him and we'll explain the story to him."

_Great. I get to hear this crazy backstory again. Whoopie._

* * *

"So you're saying… the fate of the world is on her shoulders?"

The way Mutt summed up the story of my powers made my heart sink to my feet.

"Not exactly how I'd word it," Mr. Tucker mumbled, "but I suppose."

"That's quite a load if you ask me," Mutt said as he wrapped an arm around me.

"You're telling me," I whined. "I'm the last person I would've expected to gain that responsibility."

"Well, I'm not saying you can't do it. I'm just concerned for your wellbeing here."

"And that's why you'll be helping me, right Mutt?"

I had clearly caught him off guard. He looked up at Mr. Tucker before whispering in my ear, "Did you tell him?"

"No," I answered aloud. "I just told him you'd probably be a part of my team."

"Oh… Good." He should've known. He never told anyone my secret, so why would I tell anybody his? We didn't even know what caused his transformation yet.

"Well then," Mr. Tucker spoke up, "what do you say we run those tests?"

"Um… S-Sure." The very thing I was trying to avoid this week had come true: me, an experiment.

As he led the two of us into another room, Mutt silently told me, "You gotta admit, inheriting one of the most powerful energy sources in the world is pretty cool."

"Not when it means I have to fight an army of that energy's opposite," I sharply replied.

"Aw, come on. This is an amazing gift. Just think of all the good you can do with it. You'll be a hero!"

"But I don't _want_ to be a hero, Mutt! I just want to be me."

"You're still you. You've always been special."

For the first time, his sweet talk was driving me nuts in a negative way. "You've known me for four days, Mutt."

"And that's enough for me to know that you'll be a great hero."

I couldn't find a response for that.

This new part of the building was almost completely white and looked like a small laboratory. Before we got to any of the tests, though, they simply asked me to rattle off all the abilities I knew I had. All I could come up with was flight, channeling the Blue Star-charged popcorn, and precognition.

"What specifically do you see with said precognition?"

I shrugged and answered, "The Minusions, mostly. I _did_ see Mutt in pain once."

"Huh…" Mr. Tucker tapped his chin. "I don't believe there's ever been a successor that could receive visions of anything other than Minusion attacks. Perhaps the star's abilities have evolved."

A minute later I had on wristbands and a headband that connected to a large computer. They painlessly scanned my brain and the Blue Star energy for certain adaptations, and when it was done the results certainly surprised me.

Mr. Tucker explained, "In terms of flight, if executed properly, you can fly at up to 90 miles per hour. The Blue Star-charged popcorn you fire can be redirected even after you shoot it, allowing you to guide it wherever. You can also pop ordinary popcorn in both your normal and fairy form. Your precognitive skills seem to also be fueled by your advanced empathy levels; you can read people's emotions, see what's happening to them at a given moment and learn anything about their past through touch."

"W-Whoa…" I breathed. "I can do all that?"

"Indeed."

"And you figured all that out with this machine."

"Hayashi Tech. Only the best."

Now I was actually impressed with myself. To think I had both physical and mental powers… I could actually be of some use to people!

In a silent test I looked at Mutt, who was giving me that smug grin I knew too well. I swore I could feel excitement radiating from him, and… affection? I felt a blush come over me. Were my empathetic powers working? Did I just read… love?

"Well then," I choked up. "Is that all?"

"Not quite," Mr. Tucker responded. "I'd still like to give you some information on the Minusions."

That definitely sounded like a good idea to me.

"The two main breeds of Minusions you'll see the most are Soldiers and Warriors. The Soldiers are the basic fighters with red fans and the ability to weaken a victim by injecting them with Gold Star energy through bite or scratch. The Warriors can do the same, but are much larger with blue fans and wings. On rare occasions you may encounter a Queen. They greatly exceed the size of lesser Minusions and are the only breed besides the King that can generate new Minusions."

I held up a forefinger and asked, "What do you mean when you say 'greatly exceed the size of…'?"

"Let's just leave it at the fact that they're very big," he hastily interrupted. "But like the Blue Star, the Gold Star has likely evolved over time too. They may have new abilities of their own, and King Minusion could have some new tricks in mind."

A sudden thought rushed into my head, one that made me cling to Mutt in worry. "Will I… have to confront the King?"

"I'm afraid so."

Obviously the thought of that terrified me, but I tried my best not to let the thought of it bother me too much. If I was really as powerful as Mutt and Mr. Tucker said I was, hopefully I could gain enough strength to defeat King Minusion. Was that just my wishful thinking? …Maybe.

I stood back up, took off the headband and wristbands, let my wings vanish and gave Mr. Tucker a smile. "Well, thank you so much for clearing things up for us. I'll do my best out there."

"Make sure you do," he teased, wagging a finger in my face.

Mutt wrapped and arm around me. "You happy now?"

"Happy? Um… Relieved, yes, but I'm also kinda freaked out."

"Relax, Nat. You were born to do this, remember?"

I actually managed a giggle, seeing as how that was completely true.

"Oh!" Mr. Tucker suddenly shouted. "I almost forgot something! Follow me."

He walked back into the main room as Mutt and I trailed behind him. Once he was in front of an unoccupied desk, he pulled a drawer open and pulled out a small glass box for us to see. It contained a single blue popcorn kernel.

"Is that kernel… blue?" Mutt questioned.

"Yes, and it's very rare. This kernel has more Blue Star energy than any other. When you eat it, you will be granted a wish." He handed the little box to me. "But use it wisely, Natalie, for you are only given one."

I smiled and nodded. "Thank you… for everything."

"We'll keep in touch with you," he said, narrowly avoiding patting my shoulder and instead brushing my arm. "Good luck."

"I don't believe in luck," I replied politely.

He laughed at that. "Smart girl. I can see why you were chosen for this."

After we finished our good-byes I thought back on what he said. If he could see why I was chosen for this, why couldn't _I?_ I seemed to have the least amount of faith in myself out of everyone that knew who I was. I shook my head, telling myself that this wasn't impossible. I've defeated three Minusions already, and it could only get easier from there, right?

…R-Right?

Once we were back at the front desk, the secretary asked me for my phone number, which I humbly provided while Mutt called his parents. "So," I asked, "it's Pam, right?"

"Uh-huh," she affirmed with a nod. "And your name…?"

"Natalie, and this is Mutt."

"It's a pleasure to meet you. I suppose I'll see you again soon."

"I guess so. Thank you."

We then stepped outside. Mutt took a deep breath and said, "See, what'd I tell ya? We figured out why you are what you are!"

"Yeah, and what I am is the protector of humanity! Mutt, how can you expect me to just…?" I cut myself off and breathed for a moment. "No… I can do this."

"That's what I like to hear."

"I just… need to form a team to help me."

"And I'm certainly here for you!"

I smiled and gave him a hug. "Thanks, Mutt. I don't know what I would do without you."

"Same here."

_Same here? _Mutt felt that way about me. I knew he had faith in me but… did he really depend on me like I did with him? My heart started to race with the thought that he might actually… _like_ me.

He raised an eyebrow and chuckled. "Your heartbeat…"

"What about it?"

"It's going pretty fast."

"How do you…?"

"I can hear it."

I pulled away. "Wow. Nice ears, wolfy."

"Thanks. Speaking of which, how do you suppose we figure out what happened to me?"

"Well…" Being the werewolf fanatic I am, I tried to come up with a simple hypothesis. "Have you considered that maybe this is a trait you inherited?"

"I've thought of that," he answered, "but I just don't see how I could've gotten it from either of my parents. I'm not saying it's impossible, just unlikely."

I shrugged. "Who do we know that could give us more information on wolf transformations?"

"Ed?"

I then shot him a double-take. "Ed? Seriously?"

"Hey, he's the sci-fi type. He might have some kind of knowledge on this."

"Maybe. I guess it'll make sense soon."

Mutt's parents finally came to pick us up. I was certainly relieved to know why I was the Popcorn Fairy, but now I also knew what tasks awaited me. It wouldn't be easy, no doubt, but somehow I knew I could do it. I felt strong. Powerful. Even without my wings I felt like I could do anything. Even if the fate of the world was in my hands, I could get through it with Mutt by my side.

I tried not to doubt myself and keep the faith. _Philippians 4:13, girl,_ I told myself. _I can do this._

Now I was ready.


	6. New Friends, Old Stories

**Chapter 6: New Friends, Old Stories**

Two weeks had passed since I learned my true destiny as the successor of the Blue Star. Almost once a day since then I had fought a Minusion. Just as Mr. Tucker told me in the story of the Blue and Gold Stars, while I could destroy their bodies, their energy remained intact. I guessed that it was just returned to and recycled by King Minusion. It was safe to say that I was getting the hang of my powers. In fact, fighting those Minusion Soldiers and Warriors was getting too easy. I could only imagine the day a Queen showed up, and I was absolutely dreading it.

Mutt was a slightly different story. He was as helpful as always, but he had to adapt to his new wolf form while I adapted to my fairy form. He was actually pretty good at it, seeing as how he was taking his fate a little easier than I was. Once he finally learned how to transform at will- for a while he would accidently transform when his anger forced it out- he would often help me fight the Minusions. Through research he also learned that there were some breeds of werewolf that took on the form of a large wolf rather than a wolf-man mix. What led to this for him, however, we still didn't know.

Other than that, Mutt continued to help me build up my social skills. Today marked the third time we had sat with another group at lunch. We were starting out slow with a gang that I felt was the most like me: the Eds. And to be honest, I really enjoyed their company. They were friendly (Ed and Edd mostly), funny, and easy for me to relate to.

It was the things we talked about that drove me nuts.

"And then the part where she came down and pounded its face in with popcorn!" Ed laughed, imitating one of many of my fights he witnessed. "That was _awesome!_"

"Yes it was, Ed," I humored him. Talking about my secret identity without revealing it was also getting easier but old. "We talk about the Popcorn Fairy every day. How about a change?"

"Seriously!" Eddy whined. "It's getting so frequent it's not even that entertaining anymore!"

Well… entertaining the masses wasn't my concern.

"If you'd like a change of pace," Edd spoke up, "I understand we'll be electing a new mayor soon."

"Really?" I asked. "I didn't know Mayor Leach was leaving office."

"Yeah, my mom told me about that," Mutt said. "My money's on that Livingston guy."

"I personally prefer Tybalt Dengen," Edd replied. "His views on cooperation and human lifestyle fascinate me."

"Nyaaaaaaaugh!" Eddy groaned. "Can we save the politics for history class?"

"Sorry, Eddy," I chuckled. Politics weren't my thing either.

It was then that something happened to catch my eye: There was another new student at Peach Creek High today, a tall, good-looking guy with black mop-head hair, silver eyes and a gold earring. I didn't have any classes with him, but I had heard from other students that he moved here from England. And at the moment he was looking for a place to sit.

Familiar scenario, n'est pas?

"Hey guys," I whispered just barely above the hum of other students' conversations. "The new guy's looking for a table. You want him to sit with us?"

"Whoa…" Mutt chuckled. "When that was me, you weren't expecting me to sit with you."

Lightly slapping his arm, I replied, "If you hadn't forced yourself into my life, I wouldn't be suggesting he sit with us."

"Maybe."

"I think it's a wonderful idea," Edd chirped. "I happen to have geometry with Shane. He's a wonderfully admirable fellow."

"So his name is Shane?"

"Yep," Eddy breathed. "I say what the heck. Who better to teach the new kid the ropes than the jack of all trades right here?"

"Aw, thanks Eddy!" Mutt laughed. Though Edd and I laughed, his joke received a glare from Eddy, who was obviously referring to himself.

With that suggestion in the air, Ed stood up, flailed his arms and shouted, "Hey, new guy! Over here! We got a table!"

Shane turned around, eyeing Ed awkwardly. Seeing as how Ed was unaware just how much he was embarrassing me, I stood up and dashed up to Shane. "Sorry about Ed. He gets excited easily. You can sit with us if you want… unless Ed scared you away," I added with a giggle.

"Oh, no," he replied, laughing with his English accent. "It's fine. Thank you. My name's Shane."

"So I've been told. I'm Natalie." I smiled and led him back to our table. He was eyeing me gratefully.

"Double D!" Shane cheered as he sat down between Edd and Eddy.

"It's good to see you again, Shane. We didn't get to talk much before geometry."

"So should I be introduced to everyone?"

"Oh, sure!" I gestured to the other three boys Shane had yet to know. "As I mentioned, this is Ed…"

"Hello!" Ed laughed, forcefully shaking Shane's hand.

"…Eddy…"

"How's it goin'?" Eddy breathed coolly.

"Ed, Edd and Eddy, huh?" Shane laughed.

"Yep. And this is Mutt."

Mutt said nothing.

"Well, it's very nice to meet you guys," Shane said, nodding slightly.

"So tell us," Edd spoke, "what part of England are you from?"

"Lincolnshire. I'm planning on returning there after graduation."

"Cool," I replied. "I've always wanted to see England."

"Oh, you'd love it," Shane sighed wistfully. He gave me a dreamy smile, which I wasn't sure how to react to.

Based upon these first few moments, I could tell Shane was a really nice guy. Friendly, caring, strong at heart. But my empathetic powers were also picking up traces of depression in his silver eyes. It made me wonder ever so slightly. What secrets were hidden in his past? What could've caused that dark tint of sadness?

I decided not to ask. I wanted to avoid being rude and giving away any hint towards my supernatural abilities. Besides, it was his first day. I might as well make it easy for him.

The conversation from there on out went just as you'd expect it to: after Shane explained a little about himself, we all did the same. …Except for Mutt, who was surprisingly quiet for the most part. I questioned him at one point, but he only offered me an awkward smile. And the whole time he was eyeing Shane as if he'd done something unforgivable.

"So what classes do you have after lunch?" I asked him towards the end of the period.

"Um… History and band."

"You're joining the band?" I cheered enthusiastically. "That's awesome! I'm in the band too!"

"Great!" he cheered back. "What do you play?"

"Cymbals and keyboard. You?"

"Trombone. My main instrument of trade is clarinet, though, but I chose trombone because I've been told the woodwind section is comprised of all girls. That would've been a tad awkward for me."

I let out a small giggle. "I understand."

"I can play the spoons!" Ed proudly declared. "Can _you_ play the spoons?"

Shane was silent for a moment. Then he chuckled and murmured, "Yes, Ed, I can play the spoons."

The bell rang and, like the speed demon he is, Eddy dashed off into the hallway.

"Well, I'll see you tomorrow, Shane," Edd said as he followed his friend.

"Bye, new kid!" Ed blurted, waving as he left with the other Eds.

"Bye, you guys," Shane replied before turning back to me. "I guess I'll see you in eighth period."

"Yeah, see ya," I responded.

Just as we all turned to leave, Mutt and Shane caught each other's gaze. They simultaneously shot one another a dark glare before Shane took off towards the opposite hallway and Mutt joined me at my side.

"What was _that_ all about?" I whispered sharply. "You've never acted out like that since we met."

"Nat, there's something… _different_ about him," Mutt replied softly. "I don't know what it is, but I can sense it. I just have this weird feeling around him."

I was about to question him, but considering Mutt's new wolf instinct, I decided against it. If he felt something, it must've been serious. But what could've been weird about Shane?

I shook it off for now. We'd deal with it later, no doubt. Just another thing to add to our list of unanswered questions.

* * *

Though I considered it, I didn't tell Shane about Mutt's revelation when we met again in band class. It wouldn't feel right if I questioned him when I just met him. Mutt and I didn't meet back up at any time during the end of the day. We just headed on home afterwards like nothing had ever happened.

What happened to me after school isn't all too important. Oddly enough, there were no Minusion attacks or emergencies of any kind. Mutt, on the other hand…

He walked into his house, pulled his shoes off, dropped his backpack by the front door and headed towards his room without a word. His mom walked into the living room just before he could walk all the way up the stairs. As she picked up his backpack she asked, "Mutt, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, Mom," he replied unemotionally.

"Um… Do you need anything?"

"No, Mom. Thanks." Then he silently trudged into his room, closing the door behind him. Elizabeth stared sadly at the stairs for a moment before she walked off with a sigh.

The whole house was quiet for the next couple of hours. Elizabeth worked a little and relaxed a little while Mutt did who-knows-what in his room. It wasn't another few hours before Henry came home from work to find his wife lounging sullenly on the couch. After hanging his coat up, he looked down at her and asked, "Hey, you alright?"

"I'm fine," Elizabeth sighed, rubbing her temples. "I'm just worried about Mutt."

Henry looked up the stairs and nodded. "Me too. He hasn't said anything, he barely talks to us anymore… I just know it should've happened by now."

She sat up. "Maybe you should talk to him. You know more about this than I do, and he needs to know sooner or later."

"I think you're right. I'll go see how he's doing."

Elizabeth headed towards the kitchen while Henry went upstairs to his son's room. Mutt was playing his guitar when he walked in, quickly looking up and saying, "Hey Dad. What's up?"

"Could I talk to you for a moment?"

"Sure."

Henry stepped inside, closing the door behind him, and sat down on Mutt's bed. "You've been pretty quiet lately."

Mutt only nodded.

"So what's been up with you?"

"Nothing much. Just been hanging out with Nat lately."

"Not tonight, apparently."

"Nah, it's Wednesday. She goes to church on Wednesday nights."

"I see…"

An awkward pause fell on the two for a moment. Henry twiddled his thumbs and tried to figure out what to say while Mutt strummed a few chords.

"Mutt, forgive me if this sounds strange, but have you experienced anything abnormal lately?"

Mutt instantly froze up, eyes widening. "Um… Like what?"

Henry sighed. "This may seem a bit odd, Mutt, but you've reached the point in your life where you change forever." He placed a hand on Mutt's shoulder. "I've been meaning to tell you this; you just never gave me the opportunity to. There's something… different about our family. For centuries the spirit of the wolf has been carried through genes…"

"Wolf?" Mutt questioned, cutting him off.

"Ah, so you _do_ know what I'm talking about."

"Y-Yeah, I think I do."

Henry smiled a little. "You're a special one, son. The firstborn male of every third generation in our family fully inherits the ability to shapeshift into a wolf."

"Really?" Mutt stared at the floor. "I think I've already experienced it. If I'd known it was supposed to happen I would've said something."

"I understand."

"Every third generation…" he repeated under his breath. "So my great-grandfather could too?"

"He could indeed. In fact, if he tried, he probably still could today."

Mutt chuckled. William Kanker was in his late eighties. The thought of him trying to change into a wolf was a little strange.

"So wait…" Mutt continued, shaking his head slightly. "Does that make me a werewolf?"

"Technically, no," Henry answered hesitantly. "Werewolves' transformations are controlled by the moon. Yours is by the stars."

"The… stars?"

"Let me show you." He offered Mutt his hand, which he took as soon as he set his guitar down.

Henry led Mutt downstairs. They both smiled at Elizabeth before stepping out onto the front lawn. Dusk had fallen by now; sunlight was still visible on the horizon, but it was dark enough to see the stars.

After they stared up at the sparkling sky in silence for a few moments, Henry lined his vision up with Mutt's and pointed north. "You see the North Star right there?"

"Uh-huh."

"Look to the left a little bit. Tell me if you see anything fascinating."

Mutt nodded and did as he was told, though he wasn't entirely sure what his dad meant by "fascinating". He liked stargazing as much as the next guy, but what was there that could actually stand out in such a way?

It took a moment, but he finally saw it: There was one star that shined with a brighter intensity than anything he had ever seen. It sparkled like a diamond in the sky, emitting glowing streams of warm red, golden yellow, fiery blue, luminous white, and oddly enough, he thought he could see flecks of forest green amidst the light. When he looked closer, that dark green color seemed to blend with the others. He swore it was actually looking down at him… drawing him in like the three kings.

"Yeah…" Mutt finally whispered after the awe-struck silence. He pointed towards the shimmering star. "That one right there. See it?"

Henry chuckled and shook his head. "I can't see it, Mutt. Only you can."

Mutt slowly managed to pull his gaze away from the beautiful sight to look at his father. "Really?"

"Yes, Mutt. It's a supernatural star known as an _Etwal Lou._ This particular one is named after our family, and it has been our sign since its first sighting. Centuries ago, that star was created from the spirit of a mighty wolf, and its power was granted to our ancestors. The firstborn son of every third generation received that star's power, and only they can see the spirit of that wolf looking down on us."

"And I'm one of those generations?" Mutt finished.

Henry nodded. "This is a special gift, Mutt. What you do with it is your choice. I just pray that you'll make the right one."

He smiled and nodded. "I think I already have, Dad."

"That's my boy." As they walked back inside, Henry wrapped an arm around Mutt and said, "Now don't go around telling everyone this story. The last thing we need is for the wrong kind to come after us."

"The… wrong kind?"

"Mutt, I'm sure you can probably guess what the natural enemy of the wolf is."

"Uh…"

"Let me put it this way. Werewolves and Star Wolves have their differences and similarities. One thing they have in common is their natural enemy."

Mutt's heart skipped a beat when he caught on. "V-Vampires?"

Henry nodded.

"There are really vampires around here?"

"Maybe not around _here,_ but yes. They're very dangerous, Mutt, and most of them don't have the best intentions in mind."

This was just so much to take in. All this supernatural phenomenon was making Mutt's head spin. "How will I know if there's a vampire near?"

"Their scent," Henry answered. "Their scent is an intense burn to the wolf's nose. You'll know it when it comes."

Mutt nodded and tried to push that thought away; he'd worry about vampires when and if they came his way. Smiling again, he mumbled, "Thanks, Dad."

"Anytime, son. Anytime."

* * *

"So this was something you inherited?"

"Yep," Mutt replied after telling me the whole story on the Thursday night after he heard it himself. "I wish you could see that star. It's the second most beautiful thing I've ever seen."

"Second?" I questioned as I tossed a pebble into the moonlit creek. "What's the first?"

"That's not really something I'm at liberty to discuss."

I only sighed in response.

So that was it. Mutt and I were both destined to become what we were. The power of the supernatural flowed through our bloodlines. And somehow, it all seemed to come together. Something told me it wasn't just a coincidence that Mutt and I became friends. Maybe this was planned. Maybe we were meant to work together. It was so hard to fully accept, baffling the mind… yet it felt so right somehow.

I giggled a little. "It's funny. Neither of us asked for any of this, and at the same time I couldn't be happier."

"Why? Because we have each other to make this all less crazy?"

That made me laugh. "Exactly. It's like… since we both inherited these powers, we need each other to make everything fit together."

He smiled and chuckled. "Yep. Looks like we got both our destinies screwed up."

I laughed again, sighed and shook my head. "Screwed up… yes." I looked up at him. "But I wouldn't change it for the world."

Mutt's gaze turned to me. My ocean blue eyes locked with his forest green, and somewhere in each other's gaze, we seemed to find that unity that kept the two of us bonded together.

Right then and there, I knew that Mutt really was meant for me.

He smiled and placed his warm hand on the back of my neck. I felt my heart quickening and the blood heating up in my cheeks. My blush made him snicker, and his snicker made me blush. The calm sounds of the evening Peach Creek forest and the gently flowing creek soothed me, and the serenity coupled with Mutt's adoring gaze made me feel lighter than air. I might as well have been flying.

Slowly- ever so slowly- Mutt moved his gaze closer to me while he also pushed me closer to him. I was losing myself in his eyes; I felt like I was dreaming. They were hypnotizing me into a gentle sleep. My mind was at peace, so I gave in and closed my eyes, letting his very presence fill my body with this heavenly feeling.

The next thing I felt was Mutt's forehead and nose touching mine. I started to pull myself back into reality and hesitantly opened my eyes. His eyes were closed and his lips were two inches away from mine, pressed together in a half-pucker. What startled me the most was that in my trance, my mouth had formed into the same position.

"Oh, uh…" I quickly pulled myself away, snapping Mutt out of his own stupor and into a look of confusion and disappointment. "We, uh… Maybe we should head home," I mumbled, trying to cover up my rattled nerves. "W-We have school tomorrow."

"Oh… Okay," he sighed.

He took my hand and helped me stand up. Then we started to silently tread back to the cul-de-sac.

I couldn't believe that just happened! I was actually two inches away from _kissing_ Mutt! I felt so ashamed at my lack of self-control. We weren't a couple. We were just friends. Friends don't _kiss!_ I sure as heck have never kissed a boy, and I promised myself I wouldn't until I got married.

But for some reason… I felt a pang of disappointment too. That one moment- when we looked in each other's eyes- was the closest thing to love I had ever felt. I really did like Mutt, but considering that was his doing and not mine, did that mean he liked me too?

I flashed back to that night when he first transformed into a wolf. Right before I left, he gave me a kiss on the cheek. And now… now he was trying to give me a real kiss, a real sign of affection. He really _did_ have feelings for me.

I tore my gaze away from the ground and onto Mutt's face. In a simple attempt to cheer him up, I smiled and wrapped and arm around him. He responded gratefully by smiling back and pulling me closer to him.

Never in my life had I pictured myself falling in love like this. Now that it was happening, I never wanted to let it go. I wanted him by my side forever, never leaving, never ending. Mutt was mine alone, and I knew that this wasn't just my wish. We both believed it.

This bond we had was quickly becoming more than just a friendship.

This was love.


	7. Suspicions

**Chapter 7: Suspicions**

My eyes shot open and were greeted by the darkness of the early morning. My alarm clock read 6:17 and was playing Skillet music to wake me up. Of course, what _really_ woke me was the nightmare I had just experienced for what seemed like the millionth time.

"Every freaking night…"

After switching my alarm off and my lamp on, I slowly sat up and collected my thoughts. It was the same exact nightmare I had after my first transformation, which had been playing over and over again every night ever since. There was no denying that it meant something, perhaps foreshadowing future events. I could also deduce that in the dream, I was in the shadow of King Minusion. But what was it supposed to mean? Was I really putting my life in danger by fighting the Minusions? Was this really a pointless endeavor?

No. I tried to shake it off and tell myself that wasn't true. I had faith in myself. I could fight them. Ignoring the dream and pushing myself into a mind-over-matter state, I got out of bed and prepared for my school day.

Once I got there and my dream was once again the farthest thing from my mind, school went by just like any other Friday. Classes passed by normally, and lately I had grown bored of this. My life was so full of excitement now that slow moments just dragged on for me. I knew I should've been thankful for those moments, though, seeing has how they were the only remnants of my old, normal life.

Did I miss my old life? There were times where I questioned that myself. Mutt didn't exist in my life up until that fateful day when everything changed, and that was certainly a reason for me not to miss it. But what I _did_ miss was how easy that life was, back when I had fewer responsibilities and the fate of the world wasn't on my shoulders. Plus, questions were still bouncing around in my head that I wasn't even sure I _wanted_ answers for; the biggest on out of all of them was… why was _I_ chosen as the Blue Star successor? Why _me_ of all people? I didn't want it. I was barely cut out for it. What made _me_ so special?

Well, I suppose God works in mysterious way.

At least Mutt was there. When he wasn't helping me cope with my powers and duties, he was taking my mind off of them. But after that little… encounter we had last night, I nearly turned and high-tailed it out of the cafeteria when we met up for lunch.

He smirked when he saw me cringe a little in his presence. "Your heart's speeding up."

"Can you blame it? I'm still in shock from what you tried to do last night."

"Hey, we _both_ almost did it. _You_ puckered first."

My eyes widened a bit when he said that. "I… I did?"

"You sure did."

I wanted to believe Mutt was just fooling with me, but that wasn't like him. I was really the one that tried to kiss first?

My gaze darted to my feet, then back to him. "We don't need to tell anyone about this, do we?"

"Not if you don't want to," he responded as we sat down at our usual table.

The Eds were still in line and Shane had yet to even show up, so it was just the two of us. Something came to mind, though, something I had been meaning to ask Mutt since Shane first sat with us two days ago. "Mutt?"

"Yeah?"

"What is it about Shane that you seem so repelled to?"

He paused for a moment as he tried to find the right words. I couldn't help but notice a dark glint in his green eyes.

"Well…" he began. "To be completely honest, I'm not entirely sure. I just get this weird feeling whenever he's near, as if he's hiding something. Something dark and dangerous. My heart races when he looks at me, and I've actually heard his do the same when I look at him. Plus, just the way he looks at _you_…"

"Me? What are you talking about?"

"Haven't you noticed? He looks at you like you're some kind of diamond he'd kill to get his hands on."

I _had_ noticed that Shane looks at me in a certain way, but not in the way Mutt described. I saw it more as gratitude for opening up to him since he was still getting used to this strange new country. Once in a while I could sense a hint of adoration from him, but that was as awkward as it got.

"Maybe he's just taking a liking to me since I'm being so nice to him. He's new here, Mutt, even more so than you were when we first met."

"I realize that." He stared at something I didn't see. "But there's something different about him. I don't know what it is, but I don't like it."

I sighed. "If I could add something real quick, I've sensed depression in his eyes ever since we met."

"That just makes him more suspicious."

"Mutt, come on. I don't know _why _he seems depressed, so I don't think it's fair to jump to conclusions."

He fell silent after that. The Eds were starting to walk our way by then, but before they took their seats, Mutt stood up and said, "Do you guys mind if Nat and I sit elsewhere? I need to talk to her alone."

That caught me off guard. What was so serious that Mutt needed to tell me then and there? Did he just want to talk about Shane more? Because I was just about done with that topic. Either way, I couldn't just turn him off when so much had happened to us that every little thing seemed to matter.

"Sure," Edd replied. "Go right ahead."

Eddy raised an eyebrow. "Need a little alone time, do we?"

"Shut up, Eddy," Mutt growled as he picked up his tray and led me to the empty table we used to sit at.

Once we were across from each other, I asked, "So what's up?"

"First off, have you had that nightmare at all lately? The one where you're in King Minusion's shadow?"

"Mutt, I have that nightmare every night. I don't wanna think about it right now."

"No problem, I get it." He took a few bites of his sandwich before continuing, "I had a nightmare last night too."

I looked up at him with raised eyebrows. "What was it about?"

"I… I was in my wolf form, standing in this black, misty void. The only thing I could see clearly was you. You were lying unconscious with scratches, tears and blood all over you. Right above you, there were two silver spheres that were almost completely drowned out by the fog, glaring at me like a predator to its prey. I heard a growl, and mixed with it was… Shane's voice whispering my name over and over again. I couldn't move; I couldn't do anything but stand there and stare. Finally, the darkness seemed to collide together and lunge at me just as I woke up."

Silence fell on both of us. I tried to pull together all that Mutt had just told me. In a way, it was just as unsettling as my nightmare, leading me to question if it was the result of paranoia or foreshadowing.

Finally, I mumbled, "You really believe Shane's dangerous, don't you?"

"I have no idea." He shook his head with frustration. "But it scares me. What if something like this happens? I can't let anything hurt you. I'd never forgive myself for it."

There it was again, Mutt displaying his feelings for me. I knew he cared about me, but this protective instinct was just something else. Maybe that was just his inner wolf talking… or maybe he meant it on a level much more personal than I had expected.

I found myself caught in his eyes again. Our gazes locked with each others, and my mind was filling up with the fact that everything Mutt had done ever since we met, he did it because he saw something in me, something that I myself apparently couldn't see. And I felt the same way for him. I wanted him to be happy, no matter what happened, and if this dream was something that bothered him…

"Hey, guys."

My train of thought was cut off by a familiar English voice. We both looked up to see Shane smiling at us. "Mind if I sit here?"

"Yeah, kinda," Mutt snarled.

"Mutt…" I whispered sharply. Then I smiled and said, "Sorry, we were just talking. I-I don't mind."

"Thanks," Shane replied as he sat down next to me. We smiled at each other for a moment, then he turned to Mutt and shot him a fierce glare, which he retaliated.

That alone got me thinking. Did Shane feel the same about Mutt as Mutt felt about him? Did Shane suspect him of something? And if he did, what could they possibly be figuring out?

The similarity between them was oddly suspicious.

"So Natalie," Shane finally spoke up, his facial expression softening. "It's Friday and I have nothing to do after school. I was wondering if perhaps you'd like to meet up, just the two of us. Maybe take a walk, show me around town…"

Mutt and I both looked up him with our own versions of shock. Trying to ignore Mutt and all his silent fury, I cleared my throat and said, "That sounds like a nice idea, actually. There's a debate going on at town hall at three, though, and I'd really like to get a glimpse at the candidates for our new mayor. But after that, I'd be happy to."

I didn't need to look at Mutt to know that he was seething.

"Great. Thank you," Shane responded cheerfully.

"Why don't you meet me by the woods?" I suggested. "That's a nice place to start."

"Sounds good." After a short pause, Shane looked back at Mutt, eyelids lowered. Neither of them said anything, but there was still a thick tension in the atmosphere that I was practically choking on.

After a while, a few minutes before the bell was expected to ring, I stood up and said, "I'm gonna hit the restroom before class starts. I'll see you guys later.

Shane gave me a casual good-bye while Mutt shot up, grabbed my arm and pulled me a little ways away. He sharply whispered, "Nat, I know you're just trying to be nice to him- I can respect that- but I'm telling you, I just don't have a good feeling about him."

"Mutt, I get it. You don't trust him. But I need a good reason not to." I gently pulled his hand off of me. "If something bad happens, I might agree with you. Right now… I just wanna treat him like you treat me. Okay?"

He just sighed and nodded before I turned towards the restrooms.

I was really starting to worry about Mutt. Both of us had enough stress already from our simultaneous transformations, but he really was concerned about Shane. What if…

No. I shook my head and pushed those thoughts away. I'd deal with that problem when and if it happened.

* * *

The end of the day finally came, and soon I was forcing my way through the crowd of students as I made my way from the band room to my locker. Jared was going to drive Mutt and me to town hall once we met up with him in the parking lot. Honestly, I wasn't going there just to hear the debate. I actually didn't really care much about these things. I just wanted to see the candidates.

After I had my backpack and signature jacket on, I bolted out the door and started walking towards the parking lot. I was barely even five steps out when I heard Mutt's voice behind me, and just as I turned around to great him…

…he was slammed into the wall by none other than Shane.

"Look, Kanker," Shane growled, "I don't know _what_ your problem is-"

"_You're_ my problem!" Mutt cut him off. "You think I don't notice that look you always have in your eyes? I know you're hiding something, Masterson!"

"You guys!" I shouted.

"_I'm_ hiding something?" Shane questioned. "_You're_ the suspicious one around here!"

"I'm not the one casting sideways glances at Natalie!" Mutt yelled. "And don't think for a second that you're gonna get her mixed up in whatever you're hiding!"

"Don't be so overprotective! Are you her boyfriend? _Are_ you?"

Mutt fell silent for a moment. He looked away and replied, "No."

"Then here's a word of advice: let _her_ decide what she wants!"

"Guys, stop!" I stormed up to them and yanked them apart, something I knew depended partially on my newly enhanced strength. "Are you trying to get yourselves in trouble? What would've happened if someone other than me had been watching?"

They both looked at me, then back at each other. "I'm gonna find out your secret, Masterson," Mutt growled before grabbing Shane by the shirt. "And until I do… stay… away… from _her._" He then let go and stormed off.

Shane glared at Mutt's back before turning back to me. I could barely read his face, but an unseen aura around him was flooded with feelings of confusion, fear, anger, longing, torment and depression. I could only give him a sad look and a quiet apology before I turned around and ran up to Mutt.

As we made our way into the parking lot, I fiercely whispered, "What is _wrong_ with you? It's bad enough that could've turned into something worse than it already is, but this rivalry between you two is starting to embarrass me!"

"Hey, _he_ started it that time!"

"I don't care, Mutt! I just wish you would get over this suspicion of yours!"

Mutt looked back, his dark green eyes full of remorse. "I do too, Nat. But… I just can't push away this nagging feeling."

Before I could say anything else, he cut me off and said, "If it makes you happy, I'll try to ignore it until something takes a wrong turn outside my control. For now, let's just head downtown and watch that debate. Maybe it'll take my mind off of him."

I nodded. "That sounds good."

He managed a smile and brushed a lock of hair from my face. "Things are confusing right now; I think we both know that. But we'll get by."

"Yeah…" I sighed, my gaze trailing up to the cloudless sky. "We'll get by."

* * *

Once Jared dropped Mutt and me off in downtown Peach Creek, we decided to take a little walk and chat for a moment before heading to the debate. We weren't staying long, anyway, so we agreed we might as well unwind for a bit and just straighten things out between us. We were both still a little unnerved from the Shane situation, but that wasn't the only thing bothering me. What I couldn't get off my mind were the emotions building between us, leading up to that near-kiss last night. I never mentioned this to Mutt. I had enough to worry about. I'd deal with this later.

Finally we sat ourselves down in the very back row of the crowd in front of town hall. We missed the first couple of minutes, but no matter. Like I said, I was only there to get my first glimpse at the candidates.

Both men were standing behind separate podiums with their names posted on the front as they addressed the townsfolk on some issue that I wasn't really paying attention to and, quite frankly, didn't care about. Most of the time I focused less on their words and more on the way they each _said_ them. That, plus their distinct features.

Clyde Livingston was well in his years; he hardly looked younger than our old mayor. But he was decent-looking with sharp eyes, defined clothes and salt-and-pepper hair. His voice was strong and every word he said had emphasis to it. I could tell just by looking at him that he was a strong-minded, well-experienced man. I could see why Mutt was in favor of him.

Tybalt Dengen, on the other hand, was a much younger- and quite good-looking if I might add- man. Though his clothes were more business-casual than Livingston's, he still had a very professional look to him, from his neat chestnut hair, to his bright eyes, right down to the charm and charisma he exploited in his voice, tone and responses. He almost reminded me of a young, less-suspicious Nicolae Carpathia.

I couldn't decide which one I liked better. Livingston's knowledge and life experience would be good for Peach Creek, but Dengen seemed just as knowledgeable, as if there was absolutely no age difference between the two. I decided that they both had potential as Peach Creek's mayor and I'd be satisfied no matter who won the election.

But for some reason… I had this uneasy sense going off in my head. I didn't know what it was, but as I stared ahead at the candidates going on about their political views, something in me was sensing danger. Big time.

It felt like my eyes were heating up, just as they did whenever I sensed a Minusion's presence. But unlike those times, I received no visions. Just this sharp pang that slowly transitioned into vertigo, telling me that something was very, very wrong.

"Nat, you okay?" Mutt whispered, noticing my distress.

"I… I don't know." I clutched my head and looked up at him. "Do I look okay?"

His gaze widened when he saw my face. "Your… eyes…"

"What about them?" I asked as I reached into my purse and pulled out a little mirror to look at myself.

I had to force back a yelp and ended up jumping back a bit when I saw what Mutt was concerned about. Not only were my eyes the bright shade of sky blue that came with my visions and fairy form, but they were… _on fire._

I quickly looked at him again, keeping quiet but clearly freaking out. He calmed himself down a bit before asking, "What's going on?"

Rapidly shaking my head, I forced myself to reply, "I have no idea. I'm not getting any visions or anything. It's… It's like the Blue Star is just panicking, sensing something…"

My eyes darted forward again, and somehow it felt as though they were moving against my will. Thankfully, no one in the audience was looking at us. They all had their attention on the candidates, and that's exactly what I found myself looking at again.

And specifically, I was looking at Dengen.

And I could swear he was looking back at me.

"I have to get out of here."

Before Mutt had a chance to question, I bolted out of my chair and up the sidewalk, not stopping until I had rounded the corner and town hall was out of sight. Much to my relief, the burning edge in the front of my brain vanished, as did the fire in my eyes.

I clutched my chest and panted, quickly becoming just as confused as I was when this whole thing started. I couldn't even bring myself to ask what had happened… because I felt like I knew exactly what happened, even though I had no clue.

Mutt dashed around the corner and up to me, placing a hand on my back in concern. "You okay? Is it gone?"

"Yeah… it's gone."

He shook his head. "I'd ask what happened… but you probably don't know."

"Nope." I looked at him with sad eyes. "I just know that something back there… whatever it was, the Blue Star sensed it as a threat, something I've never felt except in the presence of a Minusion." I turned towards town hall, letting the following silence soak in, then turned back to Mutt and added, "And I don't know if this had anything to do with it… but I think Dengen saw me."

Mutt simply took a moment to think that through. Then he gave me a sympathetic look and slowly wrapped me in a comforting embrace. "I wish I knew what to tell you, Nat, but we both know that there's a lot going on in our lives that doesn't make any sense yet, more so than any other teenager in this town. I just know that you'll figure this out soon enough."

I sniffled a little, silently envying Mutt's confidence. "You have a lot of faith in me, don't you?"

"Of course I do. I might've only met you three weeks ago, but I know you well enough to know that you can get through anything. I know a confident leader when I see one, and once we get our lives straight, you'll quickly become the epitome of a great leader."

"You… really…?" I sighed. "I've never seen myself as a leader. Heck, I'm still trying to get my head straight with the fact that I'm the Popcorn Fairy."

Mutt stared at the sky. "There's something my dad always told me: There are no mistakes in life. Everything happens for a reason. I've come to believe that very strongly, and with it being said, I know that this gift you have wasn't just some coincidence. You're going to do great things."

He looked at me again and lifted my chin so we could meet each other's gaze. "I _do_ have faith in you, Nat. Question is… do _you?_"

For the longest time, we just stared at each other. I was once again lost in his eyes and the adoration flowing from them. His hypnotic aura soothed me to the point where my eyes closed and my muscles relaxed. It almost seemed like gravity was starting to lose its grip on us and a new force was pulling me towards Mutt rather than the ground.

That force brought us closer until our foreheads were touching. Once déjà vu set in and I realize what I was doing, rather than pulling away, I simply smiled and whispered, "I don't know if I have as much faith in myself as you do, but I _do_ know that I have strong faith in the Lord."

We both opened our eyes; though most of my gaze was focused on his beautiful pools of forest green, I could tell he was smiling just as wide as I was. "Sometimes that's all that matters."

I pulled myself away from him. I could tell he was a little disappointed, but we let it slide. "I guess that little freak-out is just something else to add to the rapidly-growing list of unanswered questions."

He chuckled slightly. "Don't worry. All questions have answers. We'll find ours soon."

"Well, I'm gonna head home and relax a little bit."

"Sounds good."

With that, Mutt and I started walking back towards the cul-de-sac. For some reason, I didn't really care that I had once again come close to kissing Mutt. My love for him was quickly becoming something I couldn't ignore.

But there was something else… or rather, _someone_ else on my mind that I didn't bring up on the walk home for fear that it would open old wounds. Because after I took a few hours to unwind, maybe eat and check my e-mail, I was going to meet up with Shane.

And Mutt wouldn't be too happy about that, would he?


	8. Heart of a Wolf

**Chapter 8: Heart of a Wolf**

Perhaps now would be a good time to explain that Soldiers, Warriors, Queens and the King himself are not the only Minusion breeds. Those are just the only ones strong enough to lead attacks on the surface. There's also a breed known as Adjuncts, which consists of smaller, white-fanned Minusions that perform tasks such as gaining intelligence, delivering messages, protecting the pups, and if necessary, guarding their underground world from outside forces. Though they serve important roles, they're often frowned upon and abused by stronger Minusion breeds.

Just thought I'd give you a bit of information for future references. Now back to the story.

Later that Friday evening, deep in a large, underground cavern on the outskirts of Peach Creek, a group of socializing Minusions were interrupted by an Adjunct messenger's sonar. Once they all had at least half of their attention on the smaller creature standing on the high platform, it calmly announced, _"Our King wishes to make an announcement."_

Now they were completely paying attention. When the King spoke, everyone listened. They all stood in silence until the Adjunct moved aside and their King and creator took its place, then they all bent into respectful bows.

"_Rise, subjects,"_ King Minusion said through a calm sonar. _"Despite casualties on behalf of the Blue Star successor, I bring you good news. Not only is my solitary mission one step closer to success, but I have personally sighted the new wielder of Blue Star."_

Applause echoed through the cavern in the form of triumphant howls.

"_But though I have seen her, I have yet to fully discover her true identity. All I can say for now is… I'm glad our army is as strong as it is so early in its reawakening, because together we're more than capable of taking down a teenage girl!"_

"_But sir,"_ a Soldier spoke up. _"She's already taken down at least fifteen of our Soldiers and Warriors."_

"_I'm aware of that. Keep in mind that we outnumber her. She won't have that kind of luck dealing with us in larger numbers."_ The King's golden eyes trailed upwards. _"In fact… perhaps it's about time to test her strength against a greater force. But before that, there's one other thing I'd like to do…"_

* * *

As confident as I may have been beforehand, it took every ounce of strength I had to walk out of my house and towards the tranquil Peach Creek forest. I had already told Shane to meet me at the outskirts so we could walk together to the Urban Rangers campsite. Now with a little bag of chocolates in my hand and uncertainty in my heart, I took off to meet up with him.

I just couldn't help but think of Mutt. As much as I appreciated what he was doing for me, I felt like he was being overprotective of me when it came to Shane and I didn't know why. He really seemed afraid of Shane…

Or… was he just _jealous?_

I shook my head, clearing that ridiculous thought out of my mind. There was no way Mutt was that kind of guy. He was just being his overprotective self. End of story.

By the time I entered the lane, I froze up. My eyes were burning and an uncomfortable buzz was going off in my brain, but just like at the debate earlier, I couldn't see any visions of danger. I just _felt _it. Something was following me.

Pushing past the pain, I carefully scanned the area. Though I couldn't find or see visions of anything, I knew it had to be Gold Star energy I was sensing. The problem was that it was so strong that it seemed to come from every direction. I couldn't pinpoint a single origin of what was setting off the Blue Star.

But I figured it out soon enough.

A cold hand grabbed the back of my neck and slammed me face-first into the ground. My instant reaction was to reach into my pocket for a kernel, but the attacker immediately grabbed my arm and flung me into the fence. Before I could even get a good look at him, he grabbed me again, turned me around and pressed my face into the wooden frame behind me.

There was a quiet ringing in my ear, like the sonar of a Minusion, and I could faintly make out the words intertwined in the high sound…

"…_Useless…_"

Everything around me started to blur as a gold haze surrounded me.

"…_You don't stand a chance…_"

Images flashed in my mind. I saw Mutt. I saw a Minusion. I saw my classmates crying out in horror.

"…_Doomed…_"

The attacker once again threw me, sending me sliding down the lane and crashing into a rock. I just barely caught sight of the man as he ran off, but I couldn't recognize him as the golden fog and unbearable pain started to overshadow me. I weakly reached a hand out, my fingers clasping around nothing, and tried to speak.

"I'm… I'm not…"

The heavy fog completely surrounded me. My arm fell to the ground and my eyes slipped shut as I finally gave into it, letting my consciousness slip away.

* * *

"Natalie? Natalie, wake up. You're okay."

The pressure on my ears made me feel like I was underwater; I could hardly make out the calm voice speaking to me from overhead. That coupled with my spinning, aching head was making me feel sick.

But at the same time, I felt warm. Warm and secure. Someone was cradling me, comforting me, feeding me gentle words as I started to rouse again.

In the midst of my nausea, I mumbled the first name that came to my mind. "Mutt…?"

There was a pause, one that made me feel empty inside despite my wooziness. Then I felt pain coursing through my head and back. The warmth left me.

I was so confused at the time that for a short moment, I felt I had been abandoned. A deep longing rose up in me. I wanted nothing more than to be safe in Mutt's arms again. As quickly as these feelings had come, I pushed them away again, forcing my brain to pull itself into reality.

When I opened my eyes, I could hardly see. The sun was gone and the night sky was completely covered in storm clouds. Once they adjusted, I sat up as best I could, ignoring the supernova of agony in my head and stomach when I caught sight of Shane.

He was standing about ten feet away, facing away from me, his fists gripped tight and shaking ever so slightly. "Why did it have to be him?" he half growled, half cried. "Of all the people to confuse me for, why _him?_"

"Shane… I-I'm sorry." My hoarse voice sounded foreign to my own ears. When I pushed myself into an upright position, I found myself in the forest, specifically the Urban Ranger campsite. I turned my attention back to Shane. "I was confused, is all. I'm sorry."

I didn't receive an answer right away. After a long pause he turned back around, offered a sad smile and muttered, "It's fine." He then sat down next to me and said, "I was just standing outside the woods when I heard the chaos in the lane. I found you unconscious and carried you here. What happened?"

"Someone jumped me," I sighed. That's all I could think to say.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah… Aside from the twisting stomach and lead weight in my head, I'm okay."

It was just then that I noticed my bag of chocolates was gone. "Hey… I-I was carrying a little paper bag with me. Did you pick that up too?"

"Oh… This?" Shane reached into his pocket and pulled out the crumpled back and a few cellophane wrappers. "Sorry… I started eating them while I was waiting for you to wake up and got carried away."

A giggle escaped my throat. "It's fine. They were for you anyway."

He laughed back. "Good. I'm a little mad when it comes to chocolate."

I couldn't help but giggle again when Shane said "mad". It just sounded funny and out of place to my American ears.

A smile tugged at my lip. "Thanks for pulling me out of there."

"No problem," he responded. "I'm just sorry I didn't get there sooner. I didn't even get a glimpse at who had attacked you."

"Don't be upset. No one could've seen it coming."

In actuality, I was somewhat relieved that Shane hadn't arrived before he did. If he had seen the strange gold fog I had seen, he surely would've said something, and I had no idea how I would've explained that to him.

I took advantage of the following silence to recollect my thoughts. First I had a freak-out at the debate. Then I had a second one just moments before some stranger knocked the living snot out of me. At the same time, I hear a Minusion sonar telling me I was doomed and see images of the other kids under attack. Once again I was bombarding myself with questions. Who was that man? Why would he want to attack me? Did he have some kind of connection to the Gold Star?

"Are you alright…?"

Without even a flinch, I looked back up at Shane. That was certainly another good question. I shrugged. "I'm not sure."

"You kinda zoned out on me for a second there," Shane chuckled awkwardly.

"Yeah, sorry."

"Oh, quit with all the apologizing," he teased, giving me a light slap on the shoulder that quickly made me wrench away from both the pain and my hypersensitivity. Shane simply pulled away and gave me a sympathetic grin, not wanting to break the no-apologizing agreement.

"So," I cheered in an attempt to lighten the mood, "how're you liking Peach Creek so far?"

"It's… _different,_ to put it simply," Shane answered plainly with a shrug. "I've never been to America before we moved."

"Why _did_ you move?"

"My family owns a winery business. It's been extending for quite some time now, so we came here to establish new shops in America."

I couldn't help but smile. "So why'd you start in Peach Creek?"

"I don't know. Baby steps, I guess. Plus my dad has a friend here… Kevin Lewis's father."

"Your dad knows Kevin's dad?"

"Yeah. Nicolas Lewis went to school with my dad."

I leaned back a little, taking this in. "I didn't know Kevin's dad was English."

"Really?" Shane tilted his head. "Here I thought you'd know all about the other cul-de-sac dwellers."

"No… I hardly know anything about them. I've only recently started hanging out with Mutt and the Eds."

"Oh." Shane's smile quickly fell into a deadpan frown and his voice went flat. His silver eyes turned away from me. "Do you… hang out with him often?"

"Him?" I was pretty sure I had mentioned four people. "You mean Mutt?"

"Yes."

"Well, uh, yeah. We've spent a fair amount of time together. In fact, he'll probably be a little upset when he finds out I'm out here with you."

"Why?" Shane suddenly turned a cold glare on me. "He's not your boyfriend, is he?"

"No!" I was quickly getting freaked out. "He's just very protective of me. And I don't know why, but something about you makes him nervous."

Shane let out a small huff. "Maybe it's because he knows what I know."

What was _that_ supposed to mean? I again found myself lost, confused and in a swirling torrent of déjà vu. It seemed as if both Mutt and Shane knew something about each other…

I switched on my empathy powers and quickly analyzed what Shane was feeling. What I read was a raging mixture of sadness, anger, frustration, betrayal, suspiscion, and above all else, jealousy, none of which made any sense to me whatsoever.

"Shane, you need to calm down…" I quietly breathed.

As soon as I said that, he shot up and started a brisk pace. "I-I just don't understand, is all. What do you see in that greasy-headed punk anyway?"

"What do I _see_ in him?" I angrily repeated, standing to my feet; fresh waves of nausea rolled through me, but I did my best to ignore them. "Shane, you're talking about Mutt as if I love him or something!"

"I _know_ you do!" he spat. "I see the way you look at each other!"

"He's just my _friend!_ In fact, he's one of the best friends I've had in a long time!"

Shane kicked up some dirt, leaned his head back and grabbed two handfuls of his hair. "Natalie… he's not good enough for you."

"Not good enough?" I stormed up to him. "What's wrong with him? He came to me in a time when I was too afraid to go to anyone else! He helped make me who I am, Shane! And just what do you know about him?"

It wasn't like me to let my rage out like this, but something in me just cracked. I felt an overpowering need to defend Mutt. Thunder crashed somewhere north of us and a few raindrops started to fall.

Shane looked like he was ready to explode at any moment, but he held it in and met my furious gaze again. "I know a lot more than he's telling you. Either that or I know more than either of you are willing to tell me!"

"Then what is it, Shane?" I gripped my fists, fighting the urge to pop a kernel and hit Shane with a popcorn blast. "What is it you know that I don't?"

"He's… like me." He turned around, convulsions raking down his spine. "He's just… a mindless animal."

"HE IS NOT!"

"_LISTEN TO ME!_ You're not safe with Mutt! You're not safe with me either, but I… can give you… so much more than he can!"

I took a step back. "You're kidding! Are you seriously _jealous_ of-?"

"Natalie!" Shane whirled back around and tightly grabbed my arms. "Kiss me!"

"_WHAT?_"

"KISS ME! I HAVE TO CALM DOWN!"

"_You're insane!_"

"_PLEASE!_"

"_**NO!**_"

His grip tightened, then released and returned to his head. "GET… _BACK!_"

"_**SHANE!**_"

And finally, Shane exploded. I barely saw a second of the event before I was once again engulfed in blackness.

* * *

Something was wrong.

While sitting alone in the solitude of his bedroom, Mutt felt a strange, unnatural phenomenon course through his very being. It wasn't discomforting or empowering in any way. It felt more like a signal… like a silent message spoken directly to his intuition.

He shot up and ran to his window. There was a very gentle rainfall coming down, but that didn't matter to him. His attention was on the woods, where the signal seemed to be emanating from. Though the feeling was unfamiliar to him, he somehow was able to piece it together, as though a piece of information he was unaware of, long buried within his mind, had emerged. Mutt was feeling the feedback of another, nearby Star Wolf's transformation.

And once he figured that out, he instantly switched into overdrive.

Mutt quickly turned around, grabbed a pair of shorts off of the stack of laundry on his dresser, bolted out of his room, sped down the stairs three at a time and dashed out of his house into the pouring rain.

Even in his human form, Mutt's sense of smell was far more powerful than an ordinary human's. He took a deep whiff of the air, filtering past the rain's scent in an attempt to find anything familiar. It was very faint while he was still on the road, but he could pick out a scent similar to his own wolf scent, mixed in with an all-too-familiar stench. He could also detect my scent (which he had once told me had an aroma similar to black raspberries and vanilla), which only drove him to pick up his pace. He wouldn't morph until the time was right.

He made a sharp turn into the woods, hardly even slipping on the softening earth. He gracefully maneuvered through the trees, jumped over bushes and ducked under low branches, not once dropping his speed. The scents and fiery instincts kept building up as he got closer. At last he emerged into the Urban Ranger campsite, and only then did he come to a screeching halt, freezing in place at what he saw.

I was lying on my back, my eyes closed in a strangely peaceful manner. Claw marks ran diagonally across my face. My soft breathing and the rhythm of my heartbeat at least gave Mutt a bit of relief, but it wasn't enough to keep his anger at bay. His own breathing turned ragged at the sight of the giant black wolf looming over me. It was breathing just as hard as him, and the fur in its face was soaked not from the rain, but from its own salty tears.

"You…"

Mutt already knew the black wolf's identity. He had detected wolf scent on Shane the very moment they met. He knew that Shane suspected him too, but now the truth had finally come out. All Mutt had feared had been laid out before him.

His rage quickly started to boil over, but rather than giving into the discomfort of a forced transformation, he jumped forward, shifted, and touched back down on four paws. A snarl emitted from his throat and he defensively circled around my motionless body. _Stay away from her, you monster…_ he thought.

Shane's eyes momentarily lit up in shock, then he snapped into an equally dangerous scowl. _Care to repeat that?_ he growled in his own mind.

Mutt's ears perked up and he stopped for a quick moment. _Can we… hear each other's thoughts?_

_It would seem so,_ Shane muttered.

A scoff-like growl escaped through Mutt's teeth. _Whatever. It doesn't matter. It just means I can watch you go through your guilt trip while I RIP YOU APART!_

_It was an accident!_ Shane yelled, snapping his jaws at the tan wolf. _I let my anger take over! It's not like I _wanted _to turn into this disgusting creature and rake my nails on Natalie's face!_

Mutt narrowed his dark green eyes, using this newfound ability to peer into Shane's mind as the events replayed in his head. He had gotten angry at me for defending Mutt and his wolf side instantly took over. He could also see that Shane was being fully honest when he said it was an accident, for his mind was clouded over with regret and a deep hatred of himself.

But Mutt just didn't care. He now knew everything that Shane had done. He insulted Mutt, his burned with envy, he even begged for me to kiss him. That was just too much.

_I don't care if you meant to do it or not,_ Mutt snarled. _You hurt her. You tried to twist her. I don't care what you say about me, but you will NEVER… EVER…__** HURT… NATALIE!**_

In an instant, Mutt lunged forward, tackled Shane to the ground and dug his claws into his flank. Shane quickly twisted around and swatted Mutt in the face, briefly knocking him off balance. He retaliated by jumping at him again and biting down on Shane's shoulder. A pained yelp escaped Shane's throat, but he fought it away by rolling over, throwing Mutt over his back and crushing him beneath his own body. Soon the two wolves were simply tumbling and mindlessly swatting at each other, occasionally tearing off fur or drawing blood, until eventually they disappeared into the trees.

The chaotic noise and pounding rain were enough to wake me back up. Fortunately, I didn't feel half as horrible when I woke up from the attack in the lane, but my face stung like crazy. The rain seemed to increase and soothe the pain at the same time; I let it wash over me until the light traces of blood washed off of me.

I sat up, wiping my glasses with a dry part of my sleeve until they were as clear as I could get them. Then I frantically turned towards the patch of forest where the vicious battle between the two wolves was taking place. My eyes flashed with images of Mutt and Shane's dire situation, and for some reason, I worried for both of them. I wanted to transform, step in and try to stop them, but I decided against this. The rain wouldn't be too favorable on my wings, for one, and in my weakened state, I couldn't stand a chance against two adrenaline-fueled wolves. So I just sat there and desperately watched, praying and waiting for one of them to stop this madness.

Ultimately it was Mutt who put an end to the melee when he pinned Shane again and the latter ceased to fight back. The black wolf simply laid there on his back, looking up into Mutt's furious green eyes as the tan wolf awaited another reason to strike.

But Shane gave him no reason. He just closed his eyes and started to weep again. Mutt took another peak into his mind…

He saw… just how much Shane hated what he was destined to become. He saw the torment Shane had been put through since his unexpected transformation. From the start, Mutt had been wary of Shane, but his own animosity seemed so insignificant now… now that he was coming to realize that Shane was harder on himself than even Mutt was. To Mutt, Shane was a threat. To himself, Shane was a monster.

And tied in with these thoughts were quick flashes of what Mutt could only imagine were memories. He saw a little girl, perhaps seven or eight years old, with the same black hair and silver eyes that Shane had. At first she looked happy and friendly, but then the visions were clouded over with burning agony, the same thing Mutt felt when he first transformed, and the little girl looked worried, asking if he was alright. Then she was panicking. Then she was dead.

The whole scenario became too horrific for Mutt, and he instinctively scrambled off of Shane. Once the tension vanished, Shane stood back up; he had no idea what to think. Neither did Mutt. They both stood there for a painfully long time, letting the pouring rain serve as a refuge from the dead silence.

Finally, Shane whimpered and gave Mutt one thought to go on: _I'm sorry._ Then he turned around and ran away.

Mutt stayed where he was for a while, trying to make sense of what had happened. He quickly shook himself off, not wanting to dwell on it longer than he needed to. After all, he knew I was up now, and he wanted to console me.

He ran through the trees, circling around the open land and stopping at where he had first entered. His shorts were laying there, waiting for him. He morphed back into human form, quickly slipped them on and stepped out into the open.

I was already looking in his direction when he emerged. As he slowly approached me, I felt nothing but guilt for sucking him into this situation. I couldn't look at him anymore; I forced my eyes away and cried, "Mutt… I'm so sorry."

"Don't be," he sighed, kneeling down next to me. "You didn't know. You were just trying to be good to him like I was to you." He blinked a few times and turned his attention to my hands. "If anything, it's my fault. I should've just told you I had an inkling he was a Star Wolf."

"You were just trying to protect me," I mumbled.

Mutt ran his fingers through his wet hair. "I can't keep doing that. There wouldn't have been and harm in me telling you the truth. You could've taken it… But… I think I was just afraid of what you would think if I told you… about both of us." He shook his head. "I don't know. Maybe I was a little jealous of Shane too."

"Jealous of Shane?" I questioned, still refusing to look at him. "Mutt, you have no reason to be jealous. Shane… he seemed like a nice guy… but despite what he said and what you may think, you and he are not the same."

"I know…" He gently grabbed my chin and turned my head so our eyes met. "I don't want you to think any less of either of us because of what happened. Believe me, the guy's beating himself up over this. But if anything, know this: You are a beautiful person, inside and out. We both see you that way. From the day we met, I knew you were special, and in these few weeks we've been together, you've surpassed those expectations. Natalie… I love you, and I want you to be happy no matter what you choose. If it's Shane, that's fine… just as long as you're happy."

And just like that, I couldn't breathe. Ocean blue and forest green locked again, emanating a beauty that completely overcame me. My heart pounded in sync with the gentle rhythm that seemed to flow from our very eyes, and somehow… in the pouring rain, with his hair down, eyes wide and face reflecting that gentle expression, Mutt looked more fragile, welcoming… and breathtakingly _beautiful_ than he ever had.

_He loves me…_

_He… __**loves**__ me…_

"Mutt…"

A tear slipped down his face.

"I…" My voice was a barely audible whisper. "I think… I think I love…"

He blinked his eyes shut and turned away slightly. With the trance disconnected I felt oddly heartbroken, but at the same time my composure seemed to return.

"I love you too."

Mutt looked back up at me, looking neither shocked or pleased. He just maintained that fragile look that told me just how much he needed me. The hand on my chin slowly pulled me his way. I was lost in his eyes again, the connection between us growing shorter and stronger. All the love in me overflowed, sending me into a whirlpool of emotion. He was there… I was with him…

And before I had a chance to think twice, Mutt quickly drew me in, pressing his soft, warm lips against mine.

I was instantly hit with shock at the realization that I was actually kissing him; my eyes were impossibly wide and I had no idea what to think. But soon enough I gave into the overpowering emotion, closing my eyes, relaxing my muscles, wrapping my arms around Mutt's warm body, and letting the love wash over me like the rain pouring from above us. This was something I could've never imagined, something I never wanted to let go of. I literally felt connected to him, as though one movement in the opposite direction would shatter me completely. This was what love really felt like… the most gratifying feeling I could've ever asked for.

Before I knew it, a gentle smacking sound signaled the release of the kiss. A brief moment of disappointment fell on me when it ended, but I pushed it away by opening my eyes again and meeting Mutt's adorable smile. I couldn't speak. I couldn't breathe. The silence was broken when he said, "Let's get you home."

The next thing I knew, I was being swept off my feet. My voice returned in the form of a surprised yelp, which Mutt laughed at. He then turned around and carried me into the woods.

"You know, I can walk," I teased.

"Nonsense," he teased back.

With a playful sigh, I complied. If he wanted to carry me so bad, then so be it.

"Mutt…" I spoke up again. "Thank you… for everything."

"You too," he responded. "When I moved here, I was worried everything would take a turn for the worse. Boy, was I wrong."

"Well, without you, I'd still be sitting alone at lunch."

A wide smile was plastered on Mutt's face. "I guess we both needed each other."

"I guess we did."

He continued to walk in silence for a moment. I snuggled closer to is exposed chest; the warmth radiating from him provided some comfort despite the cold rain. Staring out ahead of us, I couldn't help but think to myself that long before I met Mutt, I would've never pictured myself in this kind of romantic situation.

"Uh… Nat?" Mutt choked up after a while.

I looked up at him again. "Yeah?"

"Well… I know we just met a few weeks ago… but considering just how much we mean to each other _and_ we just confessed that we love each other… I was wondering if you wanted… uh… you know… you and me…"

"Wait…" I mumbled. "Are you saying… you wanna be my boyfriend?"

He shrugged. "If you want. I mean… if that's a little awkward or anything-"

"Mutt," I interrupted. "Are you kidding? Nothing would make me happier!"

To both of our surprise, I reached up, grabbed his cheeks, pulled him towards me and planted another kiss on his lips. I just wanted to have that feeling again for a few seconds, releasing it after I felt satisfied enough.

"Wow…" he laughed. "You've sure changed a lot."

"Thanks to you."

"And the Blue Star."

"The blue what?" I joked, which sent Mutt into an uproar of laughter.

"Come on," he chuckled. "Your parents are probably worried."

I once again leaned against Mutt's chest, taking in his warmth, smell and affection. As much as we had teased and hinted at it since the day we met, now that our love had fully blossomed, I felt completely whole… at peace with myself. That lonely girl in the Peach Creek High School cafeteria was gone. I was a new person, one devoted to three things: God, my duties as the Blue Star successor, and the incredibly indescribable Star Wolf carrying me in his tender embrace.

_Mutt Kanker… you have awakened me._


	9. Pain

**Chapter 9: Pain**

The next morning was a bright, sunny Saturday. Despite the mind-boggling night I had yesterday, I woke up feeling like a million bucks. Not only was the fact that I was in an official relationship with the opposite persuasion enough to satisfy me, but to top it off, for the first time in weeks, I didn't have my King Minusion nightmare. It was almost nine A.M., I had gotten a solid ten hours of sleep, and I felt _great._

Swinging my legs of my bed, I took a moment to look back on a few things. Considering I never had a boyfriend up until that point, I didn't know what to expect now that Mutt and I were taking things to a new level. It almost felt strange, calling him my boyfriend when we had only met a few weeks ago, but I figured that was just my opinion. Plenty of people my age dated people they had met a shorter time ago than Mutt and I had. Besides, I couldn't say that I barely knew him, and we had grown inseparably close over this course of events. I didn't know what kind of hero I would've turned out to be without his motivation and guidance.

The moment I stood up, grabbed my robe and spotted my bandaged face in the mirror, my thoughts instantly switched to Shane. The cuts he left from his involuntary transformation were minor at best, and when Mutt brought me home, he told my parents I had simply scratched myself on a low branch. While he patched me up, he told me that they would mostly be gone by Sunday night. But that didn't really matter to me. I was more worried about Shane. That had to hurt him more than me.

Now that my good mood was gone, replaced with concern, I remembered something else to worry about: the visions I had received during that attack in the lane. And once I got to thinking about that, I decided not to let it linger and just get to the bottom of it right then and there.

I picked my cell phone up off my dresser. I had added Pop Central's main phone number to my contacts some time ago, and I desperately hoped they would let me talk to the man in charge, considering most of them knew me. I quickly selected it off my list and anxiously waited for someone to pick up.

After two and a half rings, I heard a familiar voice. "_Pop Central. This is Pam._"

"Hello, Pam. It's Natalie."

"_Who?_"

"The Blue Star successor," I whispered into my phone.

"_Oh, right! I'm sorry. Can I help you?_"

"I need to talk to Mr. Tucker."

"_Alright, then. I'll put him through._"

I was then greeted with cliché hold music, which in this case was a simple melody you'd expect to hear in an elevator or on the Weather Channel.

It took a while, but the music finally stopped and was replaced with Mr. Tucker's calm, warm voice. "_This is Elton Tucker._"

"Hi, Mr. Tucker. It's Natalie."

"_Hi, Natalie._" For some reason, his friendliness and informality comforted me a little. "_What can I do for you?_"

"Actually, I wanted your input on something." I fiddled with my robe's tie, pondering where to start. "You told me that King Minusion may have acquired some new abilities in between his last uprising and now, right?"

"_Right._"

"Well… Yesterday I was taking a walk and someone jumped me. They didn't seriously harm me, but I didn't get a glimpse at who it was. I just saw this golden fog that had a similar energy signature to the Gold Star, heard a Minusion sonar telling me I was doomed, and received visions of a Minusion attacking the kids at my school. Then I passed out."

There was a brief silence on the other end while Mr. Tucker took this into consideration. Then he gave me a quiet, "_Hm… Interesting._"

"What do you make of it?"

"_I think you were definitely ambushed by someone with the power of the Gold Star. In his last reign, King Minusion had gained the power to use Gold Star energy as a sedative. But one quick question: Are you absolutely certain you were attacked by a _human?"

"I'm pretty sure. It felt like a human hand gripping my neck, and I just barely saw a human-shaped figure leaving the scene before I blacked out."

"_Curious…_"

I cringed slightly when he said that. In this context, "curious" sounded so much like an English phrase, which only made me think of Shane again.

"_Well…_" Mr. Tucker continued, "_I'd keep a close eye out if I were you. With any luck, King Minusion might've gained some control over people in your area._"

Not sure what to think about that, I went on to ask, "And what about the visions?"

"_The way you sound, this could be serious. I hope I'm wrong, but you may be experiencing the coming of a Queen._"

I loudly gulped. "A… Queen?"

"_Don't worry yourself, Natalie. From what we've seen, you've been doing just fine._"

"But what about the other kids? They were _panicking_ in my vision!"

"_Again, you shouldn't worry. Other than that, I honestly don't know what to tell you. I'm not in the same position as you, so I'm afraid I couldn't give you decent advice in your field._"

Deep down, I understood what he meant, but the image of those screaming faces was burning into my brain. I managed to say, "Well, thank you, sir."

"_Anytime,_" Mr. Tucker politely responded. "_I'm sorry I couldn't be more helpful._"

"You've been as helpful as you possibly can, and that's all I needed."

"_I appreciate that. I'll pray for you._"

"Thanks. I just might need that. Bye."

"_Good-bye._"

I ended the call and stuck my phone in my robe pocket before heading downstairs.

The rest of the morning was reserved simply for my thoughts. I thought about the Minusions, what I was doing, where I was going… the kids, Mr. Tucker, Mutt… but most of all, I thought about Shane. I knew he didn't mean to hurt me, and even after he insulted Mutt, begged for me to kiss him and knocked me out in one accidental blow, I felt no anger towards him. He just appreciated what I had done for him and disliked Mutt for how I felt about him. But now all I wanted was to know the secrets behind those sad silver eyes.

By the time noon was approaching, I decided to go downtown to talk to Shane again, so I quickly got dressed in my usual attire, took care of all my bathroom duties and took off. First I decided to stop by Mutt's house; I just walked there, giving myself a moment to take in the fresh air (if you could even consider it fresh, considering one of the two houses surrounding Mutt's was Rolf's). When I knocked on their door, hardly even a second passed before Elizabeth answered.

"Hi, Natalie!" she cheered, offering me a hug that I gladly accepted. "Are you feeling any better?"

"Loads, thank you," I replied as she let me go.

Ushering me inside, Elizabeth went on to say, "Mutt's upstairs if you want to talk to him alone."

"Yeah, thanks." I looked at Mrs. Kanker for a moment. We had talked a few time, and yet I felt like I hardly knew her. She was a lovely woman inside and out; she was an inch or so shorter than me, but her hair and eyes gave her away as Mutt's mother, and she was always kind to me whenever I dropped by their house. I smiled and said, "We've never really had the chance to talk one-on-one."

"Well, we might have to fix that sometime," she laughed. "For now, you came to talk to Mutt."

Even though I never actually told her that, her intuition was right, of course. I nodded. "I won't be long." Then I headed up the stairs towards Mutt's room.

I stopped just outside the door, listening contently to Mutt playing his acoustic guitar. I could tell he knew I was here, judging by the love and happiness I felt in the room even before I pushed the door open. "Hey, Mutt."

"Hey, gorgeous," Mutt crooned, walking up and planting a quick kiss on my cheek.

Embarrassment washed over me. Pet names were just something I'd have to get used to.

Mutt smiled and shook his messy head a little. "Sorry, I haven't combed my hair yet."

"It's fine. I like it like this," I told him as I playfully twirled a low strand of his think hair.

"I don't," he sighed. "When it's not in order, it reminds me of when I was little and my cousins gave me a bad haircut."

"Oh…" I cringed slightly. Knowing the Kanker family, that had to have been awful for Mutt.

"Well, that's behind me, I guess," he sighed, setting his guitar down next to his electric one. "So how are you today?"

"Actually, pretty good."

"Glad to hear it." He quickly made his bed and invited me to sit down. "Do the scratches hurt?"

"I told you last night that they barely hurt," I muttered as we both sat. "If it weren't for the bandages, I'd probably forget they were there."

Mutt nodded. When he noticed the thoughtful glimmer in my eyes, he asked, "Nat, what's up?"

"Nothing. I just… want to talk to Shane again."

"What…?"

"Mutt, you told me last night that he was upset about what happened. You told me you saw into each other's minds, but you didn't tell me _what_ you saw."

He paused, then shrugged, seeing no point in hiding anything else from me. "I didn't quite understand what I saw… but I think when Shane first transformed… he accidently killed someone."

My eyes widened and a barely audible gasp swept into my mouth. Hearing it for myself, I just couldn't believe it. I knew something was really upsetting Shane, but not something like _this._

"A-Are you sure?"

"I told you, I'm not," Mutt sighed. He shook himself off again and pushed a lock of my hair away. "I also don't know if I can fully trust him yet, but now that the wolf's out of the bag and you know the truth, if you wanna talk to him, I guess that won't bother me as much."

"Really?"

"Of course." He smiled. "After all, you're sort of mine now."

I returned the smile and teasingly slapped his hand away. "Keep telling yourself that, cutie. You might be my boyfriend now, but I _do _have the means to knock some sense into you."

"I haven't forgotten that." We stood back up and he held my face, his tone growing serious. "Just promise me, for your sake, that you'll go easy on him."

"Mutt, I doubt he'll freak out on me again after what happened last night."

"I know… but he's a strange one, that Shane."

"So am I."

Mutt tilted his head at me. Then his smile resurfaced and he wrapped me in a hug. "You're just a special one, Nat. You really are."

"You keep telling me that…"

"And I mean it." He looked me in the eyes. "Tell me what you find out when you get the chance, okay?"

"No problem." I gave him a peck and turned to leave.

Before I could, however, Mutt suddenly said, "Hold on. I want you to have something."

I turned back around, watching as Mutt opened up a little box on his dresser. He pulled out the single object inside it: a black necklace with a wooden charm.

"Here." He walked back up to me and draped it around my neck. "This is my family crest."

I gently fingered the small, smooth, wood oval, studying the intricate design carved into it. It bore a perfect resemblance to a wolf sitting in a patch of grass, throwing its head back and howling at a twinkling star.

"Mutt…" I whispered. "It's beautiful."

"I glad you like it." He gently grabbed my arm with one hand and stroked my hair with the other. "Promise me you'll take good care of that."

"I promise."

"_And_ that you'll be careful when you talk to Shane," he added as somewhat of a joke.

"If you promise me to stop worrying so much," I teased back, opening the door to leave. "See you later."

"See you soon," Mutt called back.

I quickly descended the staircase and turned to leave out the back door. Elizabeth called out a good-bye from the kitchen and I called back my own. Henry must've been at work.

Once I was outside, I tucked the necklace into my shirt and moved in towards the trees until I was sure no one would see me. Then I popped a kernel and transformed. I had never been given an opportunity to change into my fairy form simply to enjoy myself, so it was a nice change.

I gave myself a running start, then when I found a clearing in the trees, I jumped up and took off into the air. The trees and the cul-de-sac disappeared behind me and the gridded streets of downtown quickly came into view, but I momentarily let it pass me by. I'd land when I was ready. For now I was letting the moment last, allowing myself to soar over the landscape, giving me an unbridled sense of _freedom_ I hadn't felt since the very first time I flew.

But I had to stop my train of thought for a moment, reminding myself to keep an eye out in case someone was watching. Fortunately, the normal buzz of Peach Creek's Saturday wasn't very extensive that day, allowing me to fly undetected for a good two or three minutes. Then I turned around, descended into downtown, and forced my wings away just seconds before touching down. Without breaking momentum, I immediately ran out into the open, only stopping to scan up and down the street. I spotted a building at the intersection of Carrolton and Main Street, and the writing on the door attracted my attention. When I ran up to it, my hopes were confirmed. _Masterson's Winery._ Just what I was looking for.

I pulled the door open, jingling bells signaling my entrance. To my surprise, there were quite a few people inside, examining the shelves with rows upon rows of different wine flavors. I did my best to avoid eye contact, considering I was a teenager in a place surrounded by alcohol.

Other than the shelves of wine, there was also a small bar and café in the back. It was behind that bar that I found him wearing a simple uniform and polishing glasses. I smiled and approached him. "Hey, Shane!"

Shane looked up at me in surprise. "Natalie…" He started to shrink away from me, his face flushing red. I could tell he was staring at the bandages on my face. "What are you doing here?"

"I just wanted to talk to you," I answered calmly.

"Look, whatever he told you-"

"What Mutt told me doesn't matter," I interrupted. "I'm not mad at you."

He looked genuinely shocked. "You're… You're not?"

I shook my head. "Could we talk about this alone?"

"I can't just leave. I just got on duty."

"Well, when's your first break?"

"Not for a while."

"It's okay, Shane." I turned to my right and noticed a red-headed young man wearing the same uniform as Shane, who I recognized as a senior at school. "You go ahead. I'll cover for you."

"Thanks, Sam," Shane sighed gratefully. He opened up a door on the side of the bar, allowing me to join him as he unlocked a door behind him. Then he led me inside.

We were alone in the stock room; I examined the many shelves, the front ones full of the same wine they were selling outside, and the ones in the back with dates stapled to them. I guessed those ones were still fermenting.

Shane pulled up a few chairs and sat down in one. "So…" he said. "After all that madness… you're seriously not angry at me?"

"No," I responded as I sat down in front of him. "I already knew Mutt was a Star Wolf, so I understand that you're forced to transform whenever you lose your temper."

"But what you don't understand is that I lose it _all the time,_" Shane choked. "Not once have I ever voluntarily shifted, and it's… _horrible._"

I could only nod. I only had a pair of wings to worry about. I didn't know what it felt like to undergo a complete transformation like Mutt or Shane.

At the least I could tell him, "I get what you're telling me. Mutt had me to go to when it happened to him, and I think that lessened the blow."

Shane nodded; I could tell I hit the mark dead on. "I was alone. No one was there to help or comfort me. My father explained the story to me, but…" He bit his lip, forcing back tears. "I had no idea how to react to it… or why it had to be _me._"

That much I understood. _Why me?_ I remembered asking myself the same question when I became the Popcorn Fairy.

"Shane?" I asked. "Mutt told me… that you two could hear each other's thoughts and look into each other's minds in wolf form."

He nodded.

"What did you see in his mind?"

Shane rubbed his head. "You… a lot. But it's weird. I could've sworn I saw you… with _wings._"

Whoops. Maybe I should've asked him that last.

"What's up with that?" he questioned.

I cleared my throat and said, "I'll explain that if you're willing to explain something to me."

"Okay."

"Um…" How to put this. "Shane… from the moment I met you, you've always seemed like something was troubling you, like there was some dark depression you were trying to hide. And Mutt told me… something he saw when he was fighting you… like a memory or something. Something…" I rapidly shook my head, angry at my repetition of the word "something". "I don't know how to say it, but is there another reason behind why your wolf form bothers you so much? Don't get me wrong, but you seemed pretty freaked out when you saw me, and the cuts you gave me weren't even that…"

I trailed off when Shane finally burst into quiet sobs. Tears flowed down his face at an alarmingly fast rate. When I reached out towards him, he shamefully turned away.

"Sh-Shane…?"

"It happened… last autumn," he began, his voice cracking under the tremendous pressure. "I was starting to show the symptoms; temperature, headaches, cramps, the works… I didn't know what the problem was, but my little sister, Nicole, comforted me as best she could." He choked up a bit and wiped his face off on his arm. "One day I decided to take a walk… Nicole offered to accompany me. We were alone in the woods when I started to feel the final stages. My body went hot and rigid… and she tried to help me again. Then the next thing I knew…" He took a deep breath. "…I burst out of my clothes, my body morphed into some horrific shape…" Another breath. "…my hand… paw… _whatever_ knocked into the side of Nicole's head, and the moment my hearing instantly sharpened, I heard her heart rate speed up to an alarmingly fast rate." He looked at me again. "Broken skull, heart attack, losing blood faster than I could imagine… and I just stood there with no idea what to do or what the _heck_ had just happened."

And just like that, I had absolutely no idea what to say. It was worse than I thought… To think that Shane had committed the manslaughter of his own little sister… It all finally came together, and yet it was too terrible to be true.

Shane went on, "I was so freaked out that I couldn't find the willpower in me to change back for almost a week, then I hid the truth about my transformation from my parents for months. I wanted to take it all back, rewind time… I was furious at the universe for turning me into this… _thing!_" Fresh tears started to roll down his face. "And it felt like the universe was angry with me too, because the angrier I got, the more often I morphed. My mum barely talked to me anymore. My dad… well… he barely talked to me in the first place. I had no one there to ease the pain, and soon I was a mere shell of my former self. You have _no idea_ what kind of madness I endured day after day, night after night… before I met you." A wishful glimmer sparked in his eyes. "Your kindness, your generosity… it reminded me of Nicole."

By now, even I was crying, and when that started, I did the first thing I could think of: I fell on Shane and wrapped my arms around his neck.

"So now you know," he sighed. "I'm a murderer."

"No you're not," I choked up. "You didn't mean to do it."

Shane returned the hug, rocking back and forth as if to comfort himself. "I just… can't forgive myself for it. We had a good life… and she… she didn't deserve to die."

"You can't blame yourself, Shane, and you can't beat yourself up over it either." I looked at his damp, silver eyes. "If I was Nicole, I wouldn't be mad at you. If she really cared about you that much, I'm sure she'd understand that you would never intend to hurt her. She's probably up there… looking down at you… worrying about you."

He shook his head. "I don't know if I can look at it as simple as that."

"You _can._" I cupped his wet cheek. "Shane… I worry about you too. I'm worried that you'll hit rock bottom and never find the strength to pick yourself back up. The wolf isn't a curse, it's just a part of you, no matter what may have happened as a result of it." My fingers slid off in discouragement. I felt like I was going nowhere. "It's hard, I know, but remember this: I know it was an accident. God knows it was an accident. Nicole knows it was an accident. Forgiveness is easier to find than you think, but you have to forgive yourself first. You're only hurting yourself."

Shane sniffled. For a moment I thought I had been too harsh, but he seemed to think otherwise based on the tight hug he once again wrapped me in.

"Thank you…" he cried. "Thank you for not being upset."

I decided not to speak for fear of ruining the moment, so I gently hugged him again, letting him get his frustration out. Gosh, did it feel good to be useful.

We talked a little while longer before Shane decided he should get back to work. I left him with some encouraging parting words and a pat on the arm as he led me back into the front room of the winery. At that point we had both completely forgotten about what Shane said about my wings, something I wouldn't realize until later that night. Once we had settled down and said our good-byes, I stepped back outside.

As I scanned the serene streets of downtown Peach Creek, I couldn't help but smile. Even if it was a heartbreaking topic, I was glad Shane was able to open up to me. He wasn't a bad guy, just a victim of circumstance. Hopefully, and perhaps with a little nudge on my behalf, he would be able to push his way past that horrible encounter and find his true inner strength.

I hadn't even noticed I was already walking until I stopped in front of a newspaper vending machine. Something about it was drawing my attention, so I leaned over and examined the article it was advertising.

I was instantly greeted with the calm, firm smile of Tybalt Dengen, and the headline above his picture announced that he was Peach Creek's new mayor. That much I simply shrugged off, thinking to myself, _Good for him,_ but my eyes continued to scan the text printed in the paper behind the glass. After a little more reading, I got to the last paragraph, where Dengen announced that he was inviting the students of Peach Creek High School to the football stadium Sunday night for a special assembly about our and the town's future.

At first I didn't understand why I was thinking so hard about this, but then it dawned on me. I had overlooked one detail of the visions I received last night: the panicking kids were sitting in the football stadium's bleachers.

For a long time I froze up. Then when the panic set it, I ran behind the buildings, popped a kernel, transformed, and rocketed towards the cul-de-sac as fast as I possibly could. The joyride was over. This was serious.

* * *

"Wow…" Mutt leaned against the wall his bed was against. "So the guy killed his own sister…"

His tone annoyed me ever so slightly. "Mutt, it's not like he _meant_ to. He hates himself for it."

"I don't blame him," he said defensively. "I mean to turn into something you never wanted to be and accidently hurt someone you care about in the process… that can leave a mighty impact on a guy."

I nodded, softening up a bit. "I think that's why he likes me so much… because I was the first person to show him real kindness in a long time."

Mutt looked away and managed a single nod. I tilted my head when I noticed a twinge of insecurity in him, so I decided to change the subject before we were propelled into another argument about Shane. "There was something else I noticed on my way back. Dengen won the election."

"Oh…" Mutt grunted, obviously displeased.

"And he's inviting everyone at school to the football stadium tomorrow night for some kind of assembly."

"Really…"

I remembered that I hadn't told Mutt about the attack yesterday, so after pausing to think, I left that part out and told him, "I recently had a vision… of a Queen Minusion attacking the other students… and I think it's going to happen tomorrow."

Mutt sat up. "You think so?"

"I'm pretty sure."

He pondered this for a moment. "Well… in that case, we might as well go."

"We might as well," I agreed.

"And if that Queen arrives, I'll help you out any way I can."

I smiled at him, then shook it away at the thought of Mutt getting hurt. "If it comes, I want you to escort everyone out."

"If that's what you want."

Grateful for his reply, I fell back and laid down on his bed. "This is going to be crazy."

"Honestly, Nat, I can help you fight it. I'm more than willing to."

"No, Mutt," I sighed. "This is my responsibility, whether I like it or not. I just want you and everyone else to be safe." I turned and looked at him. "Please… for me."

Mutt stared at me for a while, then that sideways smile of his returned. "Okay, if you insist, little miss hero." He then jumped forward and wrapped me in his arms again.

As embarrassing as it might have been, I couldn't help but laugh. "Mutt, knock it off."

He complied with his own chuckle and loosened up a bit. Then we just sat there in silence for a while, silently enjoying each other's company. It felt nice to relax, knowing I needed it for the time being.


	10. True Power

**Chapter 10: True Power**

Sunday night come too soon.

The Queen Minusion was coming, I just knew it. I wasn't second guessing myself. The Blue Star seemed to literally emit an alarm in my chest, one that I couldn't deny. This was it. This was going to happen.

Jared had something else to do the night of the assembly, so I rode there with Mutt instead. We didn't talk the whole way there. He understood, so he simply drove his go-cart in silence. It wasn't until he parked in a far corner of the student parking lot when he asked, "You ready?"

"Yeah…" I forced myself to mutter. "I'm ready."

We hopped out and casually made our way into the stadium. Most of the students were already there, chatting amongst themselves, unaware of what was coming. Come to think of it, _I _barely knew what was coming. Despite my weeks of experience with Minusion Soldiers and Warriors, I didn't know what to expect out of a Queen. I started to reconsider my orders for Mutt to help the other students and not me, though I kept this to myself.

As we had agreed, Mutt and I sat down with the Eds, who openly welcomed us. "How are you two?" Edd asked us.

"Not bad, Double D," Mutt answered. "You?"

"Oh, I'm great! I can't wait to hear what our new mayor has to offer to Peach Creek's students."

Eddy gave us a smirk. "So, have you two hit it off yet?"

"As a matter of fact, we have," Mutt played along.

"Good. I was wondering when you'd finally work up the nerve. Plus, maybe Nazz will stop shooting you sideways glances."

"Nazz?" Mutt turned around, looking up at where Nazz, Kevin and Rolf were sitting. For a brief moment, Nazz was looking down at him, then she quickly turned away, pretending to take interest in something else. Mutt scoffed. "Why should I care about what she thinks? Girls used to stare at me all the time."

I would've normally said something in retaliation to Mutt's comment, but my mind just wasn't there at the moment.

Ed, who had been giddily bouncing in his seat the whole time, suddenly stopped and looked at me. "Are you okay?"

At first I barely heard him, but when Mutt elbowed me, I snapped out of my trance and stammered, "Y-Yeah, I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" Edd asked. "You seem a bit off tonight."

"My mind is just other places right now. No big deal." Internally, I winced, considering it _was_ a big deal.

"I hope this doesn't take long," Eddy groaned. "I've got better ways to spend my Sunday night."

"Don't worry, Eddy," Edd sighed. "If Mayor Dengen is this willing to communicate with the youth of Peach Creek, I'm sure he'll be able to keep our attention."

Ed simply resumed his bouncing, not sure what to expect out of the new mayor but excited for it all the same.

Mutt, of course, wasn't there for the speech. He was the only other person who knew what was about to happen. He leaned in towards my ear and whispered, "Let me know when you see it coming, then just _go,_ okay?"

"Okay," I whispered back. That much sounded simple enough.

Simply out of curiosity, I closed my eyes and tapped into the Blue Star. Through it, I filtered out the white noise around me in search of Gold Star energy. Sooner than I had expected, I found it, and it was closer than I thought, quickly approaching us. If I hadn't known any better, I would've thought it was right on top of us. I tried to focus in on it, but that did little more than providing me with a splitting headache.

Mutt apparently noticed this. "Nat, calm down," he whispered sharply. "You okay?"

"I… don't know," I admitted. I had a feeling I knew what was coming, so I just barely slit my eyes open and looked at Mutt.

His cringe and startled expression confirmed it. My eyes were displaying the same freak-out from the debate. I closed them again as he continued, "Just push it away. Take control of it."

I did my best to push the Blue Star back, unhooking my senses from it and returning to my carnal mind. Every part of me seemed to relax when I did. My eyes shot back open and Mutt let out a sigh of relief. When I looked at him - I already knew my eyes were looking normal again- he asked, "Did you see it?"

"No, but it's closing in on us." My vision swerved around him to the Eds. They didn't seem to notice my struggle, as Ed was still squirming with joy and Edd was giving Eddy a lecture about respect. When I looked around, I was relieved to find that no one else was staring at me either.

"There he is!" Ed cheered, leaping up in one last, gleeful bound.

I looked back down at the podium that had been set up on the football field's track, where Tybalt Dengen was making his way up to greet the students seated before him. He was accepted with a warm round of applause; among my group, Ed was as rapid as always with his claps, Edd was calm and firm, Eddy didn't clap at all, Mutt just gave three golf claps for the sake of consistency, and I remained still.

Dengen smiled at us, raised a hand and slowly lowered it again. The applause died down as he did, as if he had lowered a switched that turned down the volume of the crowd. After a moment of silence, he spoke into a microphone, his voice warm and friendly. "Greetings, students of Peach Creek High School. I'm honored to stand before you as your new mayor."

"Oh, brother," Eddy grumbled, slumping back and leaning his head against the seat behind him. Based on the look on Mutt's face, he was thinking the same thing.

For the time being, I just sat there with my head in my hands, barely paying attention as Dengen rambled on about how we were the future of Peach Creek and he wanted to help us set our lives in motion or something like that. Like I said before, politics aren't my cup of tea, and I had more important things to worry about.

My eyes slowly scanned all around, taking in the students who were watching Dengen with varying emotions. The images charred into my mind seemed to mingle with what I saw, and I knew that eventually everyone would be reflecting the unadulterated fear that was to come. I myself was feeling a wide range of emotions, from the dread of having to face the oncoming Queen, to concern for the wellbeing of the others, especially Mutt, to the anxiety of just wanting to get the whole thing over with.

At some point in my search, I caught sight of Shane sitting by himself in the band section. My heart drooped when I saw his downcast frown, and I started to feel a pang of regret. If I had known he was there, I would've invited him to sit with us or… scratch that. I had him to worry about too; I didn't want him hurt any more that he already was. If I had known, I would've told him to get the heck out of there while he had the chance.

That regret only escalated when he met my gaze, managing a smile and a wave, which I did my best to return. Mutt saw my action out of the corner of his eye. He looked up at Shane, then at me. "Don't worry about him," he whispered.

There were too many emotions in that one sentence for me to list, but whatever the case, I found no choice but to listen to him. As I nodded to Mutt, I noticed Shane shooting a glare at the back of Mutt's head before turning his attention back to Dengen.

I blinked a few times and decided to let things happen when they happened. I'd know when the Queen was coming, so I thought I might as well relax for a bit. For a quick moment, I let my attention slide back to Dengen. Even if I was letting his words go in one ear and out the other, I had to admit he had a very captivating way of speaking. Everyone around me was soaking in every word he said. Even Eddy's apathy had ebbed a little bit.

But the weird thing was that even though Dengen was looking all around at his audience, I felt as though his stare was boring into me no matter where he looked. His intense amber eyes danced my way every chance they got, and that smile on his face seemed a little too coy… I narrowed my eyes at him, asking myself what it was about him that seemed so suspicious.

In another act of curiosity, I tapped into the Blue Star.

And the moment I did, I found myself looking through another's eyes, eyeing, from a distance, the football stadium, the mayor, all the students watching him, and in particular, myself.

It was here.

"Mutt." I elbowed him, watching myself do it before I snapped back to my own perspective.

Mutt looked my way, not breathing a word, and I simply gave him a nod. He immediately understood, giving me a confident nod in return. "Go ahead."

I stood up and walked down the bleacher stairs, trying to look as nonchalant as possible and avoiding eye contact with anyone. I kept my eyes firmly on the metal staircase beneath me, only looking up when I got to the bottom, and even then I only looked at Dengen. Once again I swore he was looking directly at me, but I quickly shook it off (actually it was more like an erratic shiver… pretty embarrassing, too) and made a final descend onto the sidewalk. As soon as I was out of sight, I quickly dashed behind the concession stand and sat down in the grass.

This was it. Every battle I had fought so far boiled down to this moment. Somewhere in my mind I knew this was only the beginning, but nonetheless, it was going to take every bit of strength I had to fight this Queen. Was I scared? Yes. Very. But in sense, that was probably a good thing. I recognized the danger I was about to jump into, but knew I had to do it, whatever the consequences.

I inched myself to the right a bit and peaked around the corner. Everyone was depending on me. All the students that had no idea who I was… As I took one last moment to look at their tranquil faces, I started to feel the weight of my responsibilities.

I think it was that very moment when I finally came to terms with the fact that the girl I used to be really was gone. This was who I really was… a hero.

My strength and determination were building up as I felt the Queen approach. In a final act of preparation, I sat back down and pulled Mutt's necklace out of my shirt. He was perhaps the one I worried about most. Mutt… who had been there for me since day one, who accepted me for who I was and was destined to be, who provided me with courage and passion I never knew I had… He needed me, as did everyone else, but I couldn't help but think that I needed him more.

I kissed the wolf charm, tucked it back in and whispered a silent prayer. Once I finished, I felt ready… ready to take on the world if I had to. I stood up in what would've been a triumphant pose had I not been behind a dirty old concession stand.

That brief moment of bravery was instantly shattered by a rumbling beneath my feet. I froze up, then jumped when a second rumble came, followed by a third… a fourth…

I forced myself to look around the corner again. Dengen had gone silent, and worried murmurs were rippling through the crowd. Out on the horizon… I could see it. Its silhouette against the night sky was a strangely majestic yet deadly sight. I didn't even flinch when, from within the crowd, Jimmy let out a terrified scream. The murmurs increased, coupled with gasps and the occasional outburst (courtesy of Eddy). They could see it.

Pretty soon it was willing to make itself seen, crouching down and breaking into a sprint. The ground shook profusely as it approached, and in a matter of seconds, it burst through the fence on the opposite side and skidded to a halt, letting out a fierce, ear-piercing roar at the crowd.

My vision came to life, and for a long time, my courage collapsed and I had no idea what to do.

The Queen Minusion took up at least a third of the football field and towered at a height that just barely surpassed the announcer's booth at the top of the bleachers. Its fur, like all other Minusions, was a rich hazel color, but with more of a sparkling shimmer to it, and the fans on its ears and tail and spikes on its legs were a royal purple color. Its long, white, razor-sharp teeth and a dangerous glint in its intense golden eyes spelled doom for everyone trapped in its glare.

My feet refused to move. Some recess of my mind tried to remind the rest of my body that I had to get out there, but panic nailed me to the ground. I found myself watching helplessly as the Queen Minusion crouched down, eyeing a horrified Dengen, then lifted up a massive paw and swatted at him, pulverizing the wooden podium in one blow. Dengen hardly had time to react, diving out of the way and curling into a tornado drill position as the splintering chunks of wood fell all around him.

I tried to get back into focus one step at a time, first by focusing in on the sonar patterns emanating from the Minusion's fans. It seemed to be communicating with someone I couldn't see, yet I clearly heard the second sonar responding to the Queen.

"_How was that?_" the Queen asked; the voice within her sonar matched the majesty of her appearance and namesake.

"_Good… Very good,_" a devilish voice replied. "_Now find her._"

While the Queen was distracted, Mutt jumped into action. He pulled the panic-stricken Eds to their feet, shouting, "We have to move! We're not safe here!"

A fair amount of students overheard Mutt and took his word for it, making a series of mad dashes down the bleachers. Mutt jumped out and ordered the others around him to follow; I watched as he courageously led the others down the stairs, closely followed by the Eds- the oaf of the trio eating up the action around him with both terror and excitement- Kevin, Rolf, Nazz, Jonny, Sarah and Jimmy, the last of which was desperately looking all around for someone.

I knew darn well who he was looking for. I finally found the will in me to throw my jacket off, pull a kernel out of my pocket, pop it and stick it in my mouth.

The Minusion turned her attention back on the kids, and I noticed that her golden eyes seemed to lock on Mutt. They narrowed, as though she had gone into deep thought. Mutt didn't notice at first, stopping at the bottom of the bleachers so he could signal for the others to keep going. My nerves tightened as the Queen moved closer to him, her hot breath blowing the back of his hair and shirt. Mutt tensed at first, then quickly turned around to meet the monster's glare.

"_He's the one!_" the Queen's sonar rang. "_He's the one the Blue Star successor is always seen with!_"

She once again raised her paw, bringing it down to intentionally drive the spike through Mutt. He and the other students screamed and jumped away as the instrument of destruction carved a gaping hole in the metal bleachers.

And that's when I finally snapped.

"_**NO!**_"

The very second my wings appeared, I shot up at a speed I had never before reached, leaving a massive impact where I once stood. All eyes turned to me as I appeared in the sky above them, and a wave of cheers spread through the crowd of panicking students.

The hero had arrived.

I pulled my arms back and swept them in a wide arc, launching a bolt of Blue Star-charged popcorn at the Queen Minusion. It hit her dead on, knocking her off her feet and sending her tumbling into the goal post on the south end of the field. She barely even missed a beat before standing back up and snarling at me. She had what she wanted now.

My strength was quickly returning at the sight of the cheering crowd, reminding me just how much they needed me. With a smirk and not an ounce of hesitation, I flew down towards the Queen, charging up another attack.

This time, however, she was ready for me. At the exact moment I shot another blast at her, she swung her head, sending dozens of boomerang-shaped Gold Star projectiles from the fans on her ears. Several of them blocked and destroyed my Blue Star attack while the rest smacked into me, throwing of my balance and slamming me into the field.

The crowd was going nuts. While some of the students were still trying to run to safety, most of them had their attention locked on the battle. Mutt was still on top of things, herding the cul-de-sac kids onto the ground and to a spot where they could at least watch from a safe distance.

I forced myself up, cracking my neck out of the uncomfortable position it was in. I soon found myself covered in a shadow, prompting me to roll to my left just in time to avoid being crushed and/or impaled by the Queen's paw and spike. She then swept her leg, dragging the spike my way in the process and spewing golden flames in its wake. I jumped away from the attack and took to the sky again, shooting another popcorn blast as I did and hitting her right between the eyes.

After recuperating from that blow, the Queen stood up on her hind legs and swatted at me multiple times, her spikes slicing through the air like twin rapiers and sending bolts of Gold Star energy at the same time. I blocked each attack as best I could either by using Blue Star energy as a shield or by directly hitting the blades in an attempt to throw her off balance, though in reality, _I_ seemed to be the one losing focus. Her attacks were undoubtedly strong, and each blow to my shields felt like an explosion going off in my chest. My arms were getting tired and splinters of pain were going off in my head. Soon I couldn't find enough strength to produce an adequate shield, and the Queen's left spike pierced through my Blue Star wall and slammed sideways into me. I spun around in the air a few times, then I found myself being swatted out of the air and into the north goal post. My head slammed into the bar, then I toppled to the ground.

The pain in my head was unbearable, but surprisingly, there was no sign of injury. I hopelessly tried to pick myself up again, but before I even saw it coming, a giant wave of Gold Star energy slammed into me, knocking me back onto the goal post. The lower part was fortunately cushioned, but that did little to subdue the agony.

I forced myself to stay awake. I couldn't pass out now, not while there was still a throng of innocent students in danger. But the slightest movement sent those splinters of pain through every part of me, preventing me from retaliating.

"No…" I whispered. "I… I can do this… I _have _to."

Mutt was getting antsy; I didn't have to look at him to know how much he wanted to help. The sight of me lying face-down on the field was tearing him apart. He knew what I had ordered him to do, but he also knew that in the long run, simply escorting the students out wouldn't solve the problem. That Minusion needed taken down, and from the look of it, I couldn't do it alone.

And that's when an all-too-familiar mop of black hair zipped past his peripheral vision.

"Shane!"

Shane turned around and saw Mutt dashing up to him, then he simply scowled and turned back around.

"Hold on a second, Masterson!" Mutt shouted. He caught up to Shane and grabbed him by the sleeve. "I need you to do something for me!"

"_Please!_" Shane yelled over the roar of the other students' screams. "Why should I help _you?_ You're more than capable of saving yours and Natalie's butts!"

"You don't get it, _do you,_ Weasel-Butt?" Mutt snarled, pointing a finger my way. "She can't take that thing down on her own! We both have the power to help her, but considering I'm more willing to get down on all fours to do it, I have to be the one to go out there while you take over my job!"

"And why do _we_ have to help her? What makes you think you can be of any use?"

"BECAUSE _THAT'S MY GIRLFRIEND!_"

Shane was quickly taken aback. Mutt cringed at his outburst and looked around, making sure no one had overheard him. After a long enough pause, Shane whispered, "You mean that's… that's N-Nat-"

"Yes, it's her," Mutt growled. "Now man up and help me help her, will ya?"

Shane suddenly took on a more serious expression, giving Mutt a firm nod in response.

"Good. Try to get everyone out of here in an orderly manner. The less panic these people exert, the better. Help anyone who's stuck or trapped, find someone to unlock the back gate, and if you can find a decent ounce of courage in that spineless gut of yours, get on the track and get the mayor out of there."

The insult Mutt gave him seemed to simply roll off Shane's back, as he simply nodded again and said, "I'm on it." Then he took off again, merging with a large group of students at the bottom of the bleacher stairs.

"Yeah, good luck with that," Mutt groaned as he engaged in his own sprint, gracefully jumping through the hole in the bleachers left by the Queen Minusion's attack. Alone in the little pit, Mutt quickly yanked off his clothes, watching through the gaps in the twisted metal as the Queen slowly approached me.

She was panting slightly, but other than that she showed no signs of exhaustion. Compared to her, I probably looked- and definitely felt- like I was half dead. I only had enough energy in me to flip myself over and inch myself away from the viciously grinning Queen.

_I… I need more power,_ I thought to myself. _But how?_

The Queen jumped and looked behind it, startled by the sound of the metal fence around the field being torn away by a large, tan wolf. Confused and quite possibly offended by its sudden appearance, the Queen turned around and returned the growl it was giving her.

_**Mutt?**__ What are you DOING?_ I found myself screaming in my mind.

Mutt scraped his paw on the track like a bull ready to charge at the matador. The Queen crouched down to his level, and my stomach recoiled in horror as impulses of Gold Star energy coursed down her fans.

"NO! _NO! __**LEAVE HIM ALONE!**_"

Without even thinking twice, I yanked a second kernel out, popped it and swallowed it in one bite.

And just like that, my request for more power was granted.

A strange new sensation coursed through my being, one that instantly took away every molecule of pain the fight had brought upon me. The Blue Star's radiance grew, surrounding me in swirls of light that lifted me off the ground, and the true power within me exploded, which I could only compare to the feeling of a universe being created in my very soul. Every part of me was set ablaze, and I didn't know whether to scream or laugh at the supernova of agonizing intensity. Soon the power changed me from the inside out: The wisps of light circling me wrapped around my arms and legs, strengthening the muscles within them while also replacing my jeans with silky white pants and wrapping my arms in a white shrug jacket. As the light cycled through my head, my glasses seemed to fade out of existence as my vision improved itself a hundredfold, hot blue stripes lined my face, and the blonde highlights in my hair turned sky blue. Finally, with one last detonation, the Blue Star sent fireworks through my spine, shattering my wings and transforming them into brilliant streaks of blue fire.

That final explosion sent an aftershock that blew back everything in sight. Once the wind ceased, all fell silent.

I landed softly on my feet, keeping my eyes closed so I could relish this short moment. I had never felt so… _alive _before. It was amazing. Scary, even. Even with my eyes closed, I could _see_ through my mind's eyes, _feel_ the energy in the atmosphere around me… from the Gold Star impulses generated from the Queen Minusion, to the warm radiance of the two Star Wolves in the stadium, to the very _life force _of all the students staring at what new form I had taken.

I opened my eyes. The world looked… _sharper,_ to say the least. My eyes were reading more details in everything they saw, seeing the world with vision beyond human capacity. I expected the overdose of information to hurt my head, but to my surprise, it did quite the opposite.

And then I looked down at myself, taking in my outfit overhaul. The flowing white clothes the Blue Star had provided gave me an unearthly, angelic appearance, and that coupled with the fiery wings blazing from behind me only added fuel to the fire burning in my chest. The Blue Star's true power coursed through my veins, a feeling I could sum up in only one word:

"Whoa…"

A growl from the Queen Minusion pulled me back into reality. I looked up to find her facing me again, still in a crouching position like a lioness about to attack its prey.

A new edge took over me, and the power that had been so longing to come out made me feel like the Queen's true equal. I gave her a sly smirk before rocketing back into the air.

_Time to finish this._

I circled the Queen at such a high speed that I must've looked like a blur to the others. Blue fire trailed behind me, creating a tornado of flames around her. The act left her dizzy, confused and irritated, prompting her to pace inside the circular wall and snap at any random spot where she might find me. At the same time, the rapidly spinning fire launched thousands of popcorn pieces at the students; some of them caught handfuls and snacked on them as they watched the battle resume, cheering like the spectators at a monster truck show.

After a few seconds, I broke free of my dizzying path, wrapping my arm in blue fire and slamming my fist into the Queen's forehead. She roared and tumbled back, her pain doubling over as she fell through the tornado of Blue Star energy. The flames started to ease away as she recovered, taking longer than last time, and I noticed black and gold sparks drifting off her pelt as she shook herself off.

_Good. She's already starting to weaken,_ I thought.

But nonetheless, she still had plenty of fight left in her. She shot back up and whipped her head, sending more bolts of Gold Star energy from her ear fans. I zipped around each blast with ease, receiving only one scrape on my arm that provided me with very little pain. The Queen then swung a front leg, launching another large wave at me. I had no time to dodge it, taking the full blast and finding that even this full-on attack didn't hurt nearly as much as it did the last time. Even still, I was launched back quite a distance, but I quickly retaliated by flipping myself into a horizontal position, pushing my feet merely off the wind current behind me, and launching myself her way again.

One thing I noticed as I resumed launching blast after blast at her was that because my attacks were twice as powerful now, logically, they used up twice as much energy to execute. I was starting to sweat like mad and a small pulse of fatigue was building in my head, but I did my best to ignore it and keep fighting. I would not stop until she was defeated.

The cul-de-sac kids were taking in the action with the same awe I had come to expect out of them, the most of which was coming out of Ed and Jimmy, the latter being the very first person I had ever saved from a Minusion.

"Yeah! Go Popcorn Fairy!"

"Take that beast down!"

"Yeah, alright!"

"Whoo-hoo-hoo!"

"The blue fire fairy girl is flying faster than Wilfred on sauerkraut night!"

"Nice to know, Rolf. Thanks."

In the meantime, Shane was on top of things. By now he had picked the lock to the back gate leading to the main school campus and was herding many of the students to safety. No one could tell by looking at his dead-serious face, but inside he was _baffled._ How could that angelic being fighting the monster behind him really be _me?_

He'd just have to talk to me about that later. The more he thought about it now, the more distracted he got.

Once he was sure everyone could take care of themselves, he ran back to the field, hopping the fence with ease and stopping next to Mutt, who was frozen where he stood as he watched the fight unfold.

"You wanna be useful?" Shane whispered. "Go for the ears and the spikes on its legs."

Mutt's ears perked at the sound of what he hated to admit was a good idea. He looked down at Shane and nodded, which Shane returned before swerving around him and dashing up to the destroyed remains of the podium. Mutt sprinted onto the field, leaving Shane to do his job.

With several grunts, Shane effortlessly moved the boards aside, calling, "Mayor Dengen, sir, are you alright?"

He didn't receive an answer, fearing the worst.

"Don't worry, sir! We're gonna get you out of-"

But once he cleared every bit of rubble from the pile, Dengen was nowhere to be found.

Mutt, on the other hand, was quickly coming into view. I didn't know whether to be relieved or annoyed by the sight of him, considering that as much as he wanted to help, I couldn't risk him getting in the way.

As I watched him charge in, I briefly let my guard down, taking a series of fan blasts from the Queen. Each hit I took felt worse than the last. By now I was pretty tired, but my drive never left. I took a moment to regain my balance, creating a large ball of Blue Star popcorn in the process and launching it into the Queen's chest once I straightened out.

She stumbled back a few steps, meeting Mutt halfway. He took a leap of faith and clung to her flank. Startled, the Queen frantically swung him around in an attempt to throw him off, but he held on by sinking his claws and teeth into her flesh. I swept another blast into her, which caused her to jump one more time before calming down enough to regain her composure.

_Okay, she's definitely losing energy by now, _I thought. _Now what's Mutt trying to do?_

My answer came sooner than I thought when Mutt climbed onto the Queen's shoulder and jumped off. While airborne, he wrapped his front legs around the spike on her right leg, taking it with him and ripping it clean off with a sickly tearing noise.

The Queen's loud shriek of pain pierced everything around her, but despite the torture on my eardrums, I easily caught onto the charade.

_Of course! The spikes and the fans are the focal points for her attacks!_

Mutt toppled to the ground with the spike still in his grasp. Then it started to dissolve, crumbling until there was nothing but black and gold ash. Like always, it retreated into the ground on its own accord.

"Good thinking, buddy!" I called to him from above. I received an encouraging bark in return.

While the Queen was still recovering, I shot down and grabbed onto her left spike. Mutt provided a distraction by circling around to her other side, jumping up so he could bite and scratch her already-wounded flank. She swatted at him with her right paw to no avail while I set her remaining spike on fire. She noticed this and let out an angry yelp, charging up the Gold Star energy within it as if to counterattack. This proved to have a negative effect, as it reacted with the Blue Star energy and caused multiple explosions that instantly shattered the spike first to pieces, then to ashes.

As the glittering remains of the spike retreated, I called upon what little energy I had left and flew up to her head. By now the Queen was tired too, but she furiously snapped at me and shot more fan blasts. As weak as these attacks were, I barely had it in me to dodge them. I finally reached the top, grabbing an ear in each hand and setting my hands on fire. The Queen viciously swung her head, but I wouldn't let go. I had gotten so far, and now that I had the upper hand, I wasn't going to stop until I was done with her.

With one powerful yank, I ripped both fans off her ears, forcing another cry out of her. She stumbled about, her distortion amplifying and her equilibrium beyond repair.

This was the only chance I would get.

"MUTT, MOVE!"

Upon my order, he ran for cover, safely watching the end from the track.

I lifted my arms up and threw them back down, shooting a hot blue laser out of my hands and driving it into the Queen Minusion's back. Blue sparks, gold ash and popcorn flew in all directions as the force of the blast tore through her body. As she howled her agony, a bright golden light pulsated from her mouth and wounds.

It took everything in me to keep my focus on her. My mind was overloading and threatening to shut down on me, but I held my position as the Blue Star's power was drained out of me through my arms, slicing through the Queen Minusion's weakened body. I could feel myself growing weaker, but this meant nothing to me. I knew what I was capable of.

_I… am… not… weak!_

At last, I hooked my hands into the laser and yanked it in two, tearing the Queen Minusion into a flurry of ashes in the process. Silence struck the crowd as the chaos came to an end.

The Blue Star was drained, retreating its power by changing me into my normal form. In my exhausted state, I barely even noticed that I was falling, quickly landing on my back and passing out in the cold, grassy football field, the dusty remains of the Minusion swirling around me as it seeped into the ground.

The other students silently made their way onto the field, surrounding my motionless body with a cornucopia of emotions. The truth was out. They could see who I really was.

"She's… just a kid? Like us?"

"How did she do all that?"

"Is she okay? She's not _dead,_ is she?"

"No, stupid! She's still breathing, see?"

"Who is that? She looks familiar…"

"Isn't that the girl that used to sit by herself at lunch?"

"Her name is Natalie," a voice called out louder than all the others. The crowd parted as Mutt, human again and wearing only his pants, walked up to me, Shane quickly following behind.

"And if you haven't noticed…" Mutt continued, "she just _saved us all._"

"So _she's_ the one who's been fighting those horrible things all this time?" Jimmy questioned.

Mutt only nodded as he picked my body up. "She's okay. Just a little drained."

"Boy, I'll say," Eddy agreed. "I would be too after taking down _that_ monster."

"She's gonna be okay, right?" Ed whimpered.

"She'll be fine…" Mutt whispered before planting a gentle kiss on my lips. Once he released it, his voice died down to a barely audible whisper…

"If you can hear me… tell me what you're thinking."

"I'm thinking that you're just about the greatest guy ever."

Excited murmurs broke out as I started to come to. The weird thing was that once I woke up, I felt one hundred percent renewed. The pain was gone and my fatigue was already disappearing, as though the Blue Star only needed one minute to recharge.

The first thing I saw upon opening my eyes was that beautiful, sideways smile of Mutt's, coupled with those deep pools of forest green. It was a welcoming sight after all the madness I had endured, made all the more pleasing by the fact that my eyesight had returned to normal and my glasses had reappeared upon changing back to my human form.

But that relief quickly vanished when I noticed that everyone was surrounding us. I scrambled out of Mutt's arms, my eyes darting around in panic at the realization that my identity had been revealed.

"It's okay, Natalie." Shane smiled and knelt down next to me. "There's no reason to be ashamed. You saved us, and that's all that matters to any of us."

Nods and agreements backed up Shane's comment, and for some reason, it made me smile. All this time I had been hiding my powers from my fellow students, I couldn't tell if it was for their personal safety or out of my own humiliation. But this felt different. As Mutt and Shane helped me stand up, I found myself accepting the warm expressions of gratitude everyone was giving me.

Approval was something I wasn't used to, especially in this magnitude.

And it felt… nice.

The Eds stepped forward, each of them offering their own gesture of kindness. Eddy gave me a light slap on the arm and a thumbs-up. Edd handed me my jacket, which he had neatly folded up. And Ed simply smiled and said, "We won't tell nobody."

That was enough to satisfy me, so when the students erupted with applause, I started to feel embarrassed. Above the roar, I said to Mutt, "I think they deserve an explanation."

"I do too."

Without even the slightest order, Mutt started parting the crowd and ushering me through. Shane acting as a bodyguard from behind me. We walked up to the remains of the podium, at which time I remembered something else. "Where's Dengen?"

"Gone," Shane answered. "He disappeared during the battle."

"Coward," Mutt grumbled.

Shane looked like he was about to say something else, but he held it in.

I navigated through the boards and picked up the microphone. When I tapped it, I heard the feedback from the nearby speakers, then I tried speaking into it. "Check one, check two. Can you guys hear me?"

The students called out in the affirmative, prompting me to mutter, "Sweetcakes." Then I began…

"Fellow students of Peach Creek High… I just wanna thank you for being so supportive. I apologize to my close friends for not telling you the truth, but you have to believe me when I say that I had my reasons. This is something I never wanted to happen to me. It just… _did._"

I paced a bit as I continued, "The creature you just watched me fight tonight is called a Minusion, specifically a Queen Minusion. Some of you have witnessed my fights with smaller Minusions, and if it provides you with any relief, the smaller ones are more common. But anyway, their goal is to bring a downfall to human civilization so that their leader, the King Minusion, can usher in a new world order. The Minusions are gifted with the power of a supernatural force called the Gold Star. The equal opposite of that force is the Blue Star, which as you can probably guess, is what I have been gifted with. It's my duty to stop these creatures from taking over, and they started here in Peach Creek so that they could get to me.

"Now here me out. As incredible as this may sound, I want to emphasize the fact that this was something I only learned about weeks ago. I never asked to be a hero. If you see me as one, then thank you so much; I'm happy to help you all. But what I'm saying is… I've never tried to be anything other than who I am, and the Minusions and the Blue Star aren't the only things that have changed me over these last couple of weeks." At that last remark, Mutt wrapped an arm around me, shooting me a look that told me I was on a roll.

"Until King Minusion is defeated, I have a lot of work to do. But while I'm not fighting Minusions, like during school or on the streets, I don't want to be treated any differently than the rest of you. I'm still just a teenager, and for now, that's all I could really ask for… to be _me._"

During the pause that followed, another round of applause went off in the crowd. Then when I thought of something else, I added, "Oh, and I'd also like it if we don't go spreading this around. The last thing I need is to be the center of some big headline." Once I was done, I clicked the microphone off and set it next to my feet.

As the crowd started to disperse, Mutt smiled at me and said, "Let's go home."

I nodded my agreement and started a casual stride towards the parking lot, Mutt and Shane on either side of me.

"Shane…" I spoke up. "I'm really sorry I didn't tell you-"

"Don't be," he interrupted. "_I_ didn't tell _you_ what I was. You guys figured it out, remember?"

"Yeah, abruptly, might I add," Mutt groaned.

"Oh, come on, Mutt," I sighed. "You guys have both been a big help. I owe you a lot."

"Well, feel free to pay me back any way you like," Mutt teased, wrapping an arm around me.

Shane smiled and shook his head. "Just be ready," he said. "You're in for a rough time at school now."

"Don't I know it," I muttered.

"Promise me you'll get a good night sleep," Shane continued as he broke off and headed towards his home. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Good night, Shane!" I called as he turned and sped off into the night.

"So…" Mutt spoke up. "We taking the long way home?"

"You know what?" An idea came to my mind. "Do you mind driving home by yourself."

He caught on, shooting me a smirk. "Not at all." He sat down at the driver's seat of his cart, where we leaned in towards each other and exchanged another kiss. "You have fun."

"I will," I said, tossing him my jacket and taking off. Then I stopped and turned back around. "Oh, and Mutt?"

"Yeah?"

I smiled. "I owe this whole thing to you. You know that, right?"

"Well, like I said," Mutt joked, "you can pay me back however you like, Miss Popcorn Fairy."

A chuckle escaped my throat. "I love you."

"You too."

I let that last image of Mutt's face stick in my mind as I took off running down the parking lot. I reached into my pocket, pulled out a kernel, popped it (fortunately), and stuck it in my mouth. The moment my wings reappeared, I leaped forward and soared into the night sky.

And as I watched the world disappear beneath me, flying high between my beautiful Peach Creek home and the twinkling heavens above, something deep in my chest told me that this was where I belonged: the eighth successor of the Blue Star, floating freely on the updrafts with the bright stars shining down upon me. This sense of _rightness_ carried me across the fields, over the buildings and through a state of pure joy unlike anything I could describe. It didn't matter what was to come in the future. All that mattered at that moment was the freedom, the happiness from everything I had experienced up until that one shining moment. I closed my eyes as the wind blew through my hair and wings, letting my imagination soar to new heights.

Because that's what I do best, isn't it?

* * *

_Because the Sovereign Lord helps me,  
I will not be disgraced.  
Therefore, I have set my face like a stone,  
determined to do his will.  
And I know that I will not be put to shame._

_-Isaiah 50:7 NLT_


End file.
